As a female, there are so many things you will experience that men simply will not. You will know what it is like to be called a slut, or a whore before you are old enough to know what it means. Your body will be judged, and your views questioned. You will become fearful, without even knowing that it is happening. Life as a female is just different. The following is a list of things you will only hear if you are a woman.
1.) “You are such a slut”.
You will hear this before you are even old enough to know what it means. Some will hear it so often that it loses all power as an insult, while for others it will be extremely damaging. You will hear this on no grounds other than the fact that you’re a woman. The statement will never be justified, but when you try to point that out you will be criticized for your appearance and your life choices.
2.) “You’re too sensitive”.
Some of the males reading this article probably even said this when reading the title of my article. Here is another girl complaining about what it is like to be a girl. However, when you’re a girl, you’re raised differently. As little girls, we are allowed to cry. We were never told to ‘be a man” and hide our emotions like the males of our generation, so when we are told we are too sensitive it clashes everything we were told growing up. So in reality, we are not too sensitive. We are just being genuine.
3.) “Be careful walking to your car”.
A dark, empty parking lot and a young woman. I just described the opening scene to an abduction movie. I hear this sentence at least three times a week and I never know how to take it. This implies that if I am being “careful”, I will be able to avoid being attacked when in reality that is not the case.
4.) “You shouldn’t have been drinking that much”.
This sentence typically follows any negative consequences that may follow a night of drinking. If a male drinks in excess and makes irresponsible decisions, it is laughable. The pictures end up on social media and the videos go on YouTube. Shows like Jackass show us that men can act crazy and it will always be funny, but women can’t. I hear this sentence so much in reference to sexual assaults and it drives me nuts. People blame the victim by saying that if she hadn’t been drinking that much she never would’ve been assaulted, but no one questions how many drinks the abuser had.
5.) “It must be your time of the month”.
This is a surefire way to send a woman from irritated to enraged, but it is NOT because it is our time of the month. It is because we are being told that our feelings are invalid and unjustified. When women act angry, sad, frustrated, or anything else, it is never taken seriously because there is some belief that it cannot possibly be natural and instead must be a hormone imbalance. Then once that conclusion is reached, it turns into the assumption that these emotions don’t need to be given the time of day because they are not “real”.
6.) “Women drivers”.
I am not sure where the idea came from that women are bad drivers, and I question even more how this stereotype is still in existence. There is no evidence to back up the idea that women are bad drivers in comparison to men. In fact, men pay more for car insurance because they get into more accidents, so why is anyone still supporting this stereotype?
7.) “You are so indecisive”.
If I had a dime for every man I have dealt with who proved this to be inaccurate, I could pay off everyone who actually thought this. With that said, I am NOT saying that men are more indecisive than women (see number eight). I am saying we are equal in terms of this quality, but that this particular stereotype plagues just women. Not knowing what you want sometimes is a symptom of being human, not one of being female.
8.) “You’re a feminist? Why do you hate men?”
Feminism is about equality! Women have been lacking rights that men take for granted since the beginning of time. The reason we try to come together and empower other women is because it needs to be done and no one is going to do it for us. When this entire list becomes unrelatable, and there is complete equality between sexes, then you will know it is because of feminism. Then you will understand it.
9.) “Should I be talking to your husband about this?”
I know so many women that are ticked off by this sentence, and they all have one thing in common. They heard this when they were trying to buy something expensive such as a car, a house, a television, etc. There are two significant beliefs that this statement stems from. The first one is the idea that men should control the finances, and the second is the idea that women can’t know enough to make these big decisions for themselves.
10.) “Sit like a lady”.
We have to be careful of how we position our legs, our slouching, and every other aspect of our body language just because we are women. Sitting certain ways is not proper, or ladylike, so we are corrected as little girls. Little boys are not.
