I'm An American Woman That Should Be Enough

No, this is not a post bashing Feminist, nor is it a post destroying those that aren't. This is an article regarding the world in which we're currently living in.

A Women's March had taken place on January 21, 2017. This march led to numerous articles being written, some for and some against. A post titled "You Are Not Equal. I'm Sorry" was one of these said posts as a response to another woman's article describing her feelings of being equal to men.

Now, I fully support the Women's March and all that we as a whole are trying to overcome; however, I don't agree with this article that was written. It starts off by stating that the women before us "did not have better things to do than march and protest and rally." I am honored to be a woman. One born into these freedoms because of women such as Rosa Parks and Margaret Sanger. They were able to accomplish amazing milestones for our gender and for that I will always be thankful. What I'm not okay with is women that find it okay to discourage those which didn't walk.

No, I did not attend the Women's March, but this doesn't make me "wrapped up in my delusion of equality." What it makes me is a woman. A woman getting paid the same amount of money as men in the same line of work as me. I do not "sit on a pedestal and type," nor do I feel privileged or entitled.

I will always support women that march for our rights, but what I won't support is those that abuse their rights. Those with signs stating "My P*ssy Bites Back" and diminishing those which didn't walk.

We've been given the freedom of speech as a whole and we've taken that to extremes. Believing it's okay to hold up signs and posters with the words "A Vagina Brought You Into This World, A Vagina Will Vote You Out." These signs completely degrade us. Discussing our reproductive organs because it's okay for women to use that language, but not a man.

Together, we are women. All of us deal with "cat-calling" and "justifying our behavior." The women who marched are not the only ones which share these issues. Today alone, I had to zip up my jacket and keep my head down as a man had his eyes on everything except my face. I know this isn't right, but I also know I alone cannot stop it.

If we want equality, we have to realize that we objectify men the same way they objectify us. I understand we are not fully equal, but I feel our nation is more equal that it was before.

I am a woman and I am proud, but I'm not proud of some of our women with this mindset. The mindset that if we don't protest and rally for our gender, then we are not worthy. I am an American woman and this should be enough. I shouldn't have to label myself any further to please my own gender. We are one unit, whether we choose to honor it or not. We must respect one another's beliefs before we can ever gain respect from our male party.

These issues are nothing new for us.

An Inauguration took place Friday, January 20, 2017. The Women's March took place that Saturday. Where were you Thursday, January 19? Where were you two weeks ago, two months ago, two years ago? These are the same issues we've been dealing with for decades now. Are you marching for the rights of women or are you marching for a personal opinion against a man who is now our President?