You know what makes me mad?
Sexism.
The looks, the tone, the language
Of sexism.
And in case you didn't know what sexism looks like, let me show
you.
Because oh shit there it is, right behind you!
Sometimes it comes from between your lips.
And whether you meant it as a joke or not,
The root of gender inequality lies between my hips.
Movember- woo! Armpits for August - boo!
Women aren't meant to have hair under their arms or stretched over their
calves, didn't you know? It doesn't grow because it's meant to be there... So
make it go.
"I don`t care how much money it raises, no woman should have hair below
their bottom set of eye lashe`s. Fact!"
Thank you, Daily Mail Online commenter. I knew I could count on your
support.
Wage gap, wage gap, gaps in pay.
Not paid the same for being Rebecca and not Ray.
Maternity pay - acceptable, conditionally.
Paternity leave - inexcusable, start acting traditionally.
The phrase "having it all" and hearing women can't, don't.
And knowing that men can, do.
That bloody glass ceiling that still exists.
We can see it because our nails, short and long, polished and plain,
scratch at it every day.
We can see it because our hands, grubby with sweat from work, working
out, cleaning the house, cleaning up the kids, those grubby hands leave marks
there to stay.
We can see our reflections in it. Our bruised and battered reflections
as we push and push and push and puuuuush.
Gender inequality is hearing the phrases "don't be such a
girl", "man up", "grow some balls".
Because god forbid you should in any way act like less than a man, like
a female.
Wait, how does a female act anyway?
Do proper women cover up?
Do real women have curves?
Do all women have some deep down desire to fill their womb and go
through an average of 12 hours of pain to birth another human being?
If you cover up - good for you! If you have curves - good for you! If
you have a child, or multiple children - I stand up and applaud you because I
think it's the stupidest yet bravest action a woman could do.
Actually, bungee jumping also requires bravery. So does joining the
army.
So does crossing the street in Thailand apparently.
So giving birth is simply a fantastic thing to do, well done, but it's
not the BE ALL and END ALL of a woman's abilities.
Gender inequality is reading about a Texan hospital keeping a brain-dead
woman alive because she's pregnant and they won't turn off life support because
Texan law requires the doctors to save the baby. A brain-dead woman, who was
administered drugs and electric shocks to try and get her to live, who cannot
be an active part in the life of a baby who has probably suffered because of
the aforementioned medical practices used to try and save the mother, is still
hooked up to a machine DESPITE her family asking doctors to turn off life
support.
A woman is a human being, not an incubator. Do you need proof?
Here is a picture of a woman.
Here is a picture of an incubator.
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| borrowed from aboutraisingchickens101.com |
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Well, look at that. They're different. Who'd've thunk it...
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Gender inequality is Marion Bertolli winning Wimbledon and being berated
for being "ugly".
(Beauty, beholder, you fill on the words.)
When does a woman's face stop her playing professional tennis to a
championship winning standard?
IT DOESN'T YOU MORONS.
It's seeing the headline that 3 in 4 girls have low self-esteem, and 7
out of 10 over the age of 13 have suffered sexual harassment at school or
college.
It's a woman protesting to not have women wiped off the face of British
currency. And then succeeding. And THEN getting days, weeks, months of abuse
and hate online. It's other women sticking up for her and getting the same sort
of abuse. And bomb threats. Actual fucking bomb threats.
It's a man shouting boo at a woman at an ATM and then repeatedly trying
to hold her hand as she walks in the same direction at them, at the same pace.
And you laugh it off as them being friendly, if not slightly annoying. But my
hand. Why did he want to hold my hand? Why did he feel he could touch me at
all?
It's a 17 year old boy shouting "slut" at you because you
don't fancy him. Does he even know the definition of "slut" according
to a dictionary? Because surely not fancying any random boy off the street
makes you the opposite of the definition of a slut. Surely a more accurate
thing he should have shouted was "well I don't fancy you
either."
It's your hostel room mates asking if you want to see them naked. And
you laugh it off and say no thanks but then the next day when they wolf whistle
at you when you return to the room from a shower you tell them if they do that
again you'll take their testicles off.
And it's them saying "it's just a joke. Don't take it like
that."
Why are woman always the butt of the joke?
Why these three things in three days?
It's an old man touching you up in a Lidl's car park.
It's a guy you thought was your friend, that you trusted, giving you a black eye and sexually assaulting you because he wants
you so bad and you don't want him back.
It's the destruction of your trust in men. You know not all men are like that, not all men would do that.
You know it somewhere.
It's hearing that all the stories on Everyday Sexism project couldn't
possibly all be true. Some of them must be made up. That one hurts much more
because you've contributed to it. Twice. And you have so many more stories that
could go on it.
It's hearing that men can't be raped.
That a woman was asking for it because of what she was wearing, or some
other bullshit excuse. How can we stop rape? Get women not to walk down dark
alleys at night. Get women to cover up, and not go out drinking. Get women to
carry mace or pepper spray, or even their house keys in their hand when they
walk home, walk anywhere, just in case.
No. We stop rape by teaching that rape is wrong. Rape is caused by
rapists. End of. So shut up.
It's getting this bullshit day in, day out, and feeling weary and worn
out from having to constantly defend yourself, justify yourself. It's all so
exhausting.
And if you think I'm not acting very ladylike by being so, so, so beside
myself with anger, then ask yourself this: why are you forcing your ideals of
what a woman should be on me? Where did you get them from? Was it your parents?
Your friends? School? The media?
All of the above.
Gender inequality is men and women being given ideals
of themselves in terms of appearance, personality traits, and skills. It's
being told there are roles for men and there are roles for women.
Why are there not roles for people?
I'm done with this shit. It has to end.
Just because it's the status quo
Doesn't mean it should be so.
