Think about the qualities of the "perfect woman" from the point of view of a man, the media, or society in general.

Let's go over some of the traits.

Submissive. Listens to every wish and command and takes it with stride. Hairless. Small and thin. No stretch marks, no cellulite, no acne. Soft-spoken. Absolutely no strong opinions, or ideas of her own. Clueless. Innocent of course, upholding every ideal of purity. These qualities are some of the most prominent characteristics of femininity. They're reinforced through every magazine cover, book, movie, and TV show. How can you call yourself a real woman if you're not sitting around freshly shaved, and waiting to be saved by a man?

So, why is that? Why does everything we consume repeatedly show us the stale trope of a woman in trouble, incapable of saving herself, until a big strong man comes around? Why do we constantly see femininity as these specific sets of child-like features?

It's because pedophilia is accepted in the media, and we're constantly being desensitized to such a prevalent and twisted issue.

Think about how many celebrities have been accused of sexual interactions with minors or just very young women in general. Ansel Elgort has been accused of sexually harassing a 17-year-old girl. Woody Allen started dating his ex's adopted daughter when he was 56 and she was 21. Leonardo DiCaprio only seems to date women who are less than half his age. Elvis Presley began pursuing his future wife Priscilla when she was only 14, and multiple authors have alleged sexual conduct with girls as young as 13. According to the New York Post, Jeffery Epstein "was accused of forcing young women, including some who were underage, into participating in sex orgies at [a] U.S. Virgin Islands property," with figures like Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Kevin Spacey all allegedly having been guests of the island or flown on Epstein's private jet. President Donald Trump has more than 40 sexual assault allegations against him, at least one from a woman who says she was 13 at the time. Other allegations include Harvey Weinstein. R.Kelly. Chris D'elia. Dan Schneider. Brian Peck. Michael Jackson. Mike Tyson. This isn't even the tip of the iceberg, I believe there's so much more we don't know about.

Pedophilia is alive and right in front of our eyes, and no one does anything about it. We're living in the midst of a huge child trafficking crisis while everyone turns the other cheek. It's because some of the most powerful people in the world are perpetrators of this problem. It's why 1,500 kids were reported missing from ICE's care in 2019. It's everything all at once. It's rape culture, purity culture, gender roles, the expectations of what and who a woman should be, the media, Hollywood, and politics all factoring into massive societal desensitization to something so sickening, and it has to end.

I think there's only so much that the general public can do. Yes, you can educate yourself and call people out, I encourage that profusely. But eventually, change has to come from those at the top. There have to be no more platforms left for pedophiles, no more reverence or sympathy either. Instead, there has to be accountability. And ideally, criminal charges and some jail time. I don't think it's too much to ask.