Sometimes, I get really mad that I’m a woman. Yea, sure, there’s the whole menstrual cycle and birth pains thing -- but it’s beyond that. Being a woman apparently means I have to live in fear of being by myself, and that’s ridiculous…and unfortunately true. I’ll be real with you, I’m almost 22 but I low-key dress like a 12-year old. I’ll be even more real with you and say that I do this not only because I’m comfortable wearing my soccer shorts and big t-shirts but because I’m also trying to hide. But apparently, as a female, you can’t hide. Just the other day I was walking around downtown, looking like the middle school version of Dora the Explorer, and I got hit on/cat called twice in 15 minutes. Why?! Is being female too much to handle? Last time I checked, I am not on sale at Walmart so please do not treat me accordingly.
Dream world: I’d really love it if I didn’t have be walked back to my car. I’d really love to be able to take public transportation at night, by myself. I’d really love to go up to anyone to say hello, and I’d really love to walk down the street unnoticed. Honestly, I’d really love to just be.
BUT I CAN’T. In reality, I look for other women to sit next to on the train. In reality, I should keep my eyes to the ground. In reality, I must always be on alert for predators because in reality, I am not free to be by myself for the simple fact that I am a woman. Dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I do admit that I am painfully independent. Like, the kind of independent that wouldn’t let people push me around when I was in a wheel chair because “I could do it myself” kind of independent. (Consequently, that was a rough three weeks of my life, though I will say that my arms have never looked better.) Nevertheless, I especially hate this whole female thing because it takes away my independence. Suddenly, I have to have a man with me in order to do things and go places that a man wouldn’t need me for. This makes me mad. Yes, I know that women can do things that men cannot, (woohoo yay women), but good gravy, I just want to walk around and be an uninteresting, normal human being, minding my own business and doing my thing…IS THAT SO TERRIBLE??? News flash: it’s not.
The truth is, me being female is not the problem. In fact, I’m sure this will come as a gigantic shock to you, but exterminating all women would not be an appropriate course of action in regards to the current situation. My problem is not with being a woman because hello, being a woman is actually awesome. My problem is with the little nuggets that portray women as objects to be manipulated, taken advantage of, and ultimately dehumanized. That is the problem. Feel free to do something about it in your spare time.
