I remember I hated being told to “act like a lady”. Sometimes I would, and still do, sit with my legs spread apart. I’m never wearing a dress when I do this, but I remember I would get scolded and told to sit like a lady.
When I was in high school I took the stereotypical selfies with my tongue sticking out. My grandmother asked me what I thought that suggested. She basically told me I shouldn’t do it because it could “suggest” things… What? If I want to stick my tongue out in my photos, I can. Mind you, I’ve been doing that as young as five years old. So was I suggesting things when I was five? Why is it that once I had boobs, sticking out my tongue was suggestive?
As I got older I developed a potty mouth. I cuss like a sailor in some moments, depends on how mad I am. I have a different view on cuss words, I feel that they are just cuss words. GD is definitely one I don’t use, but I don’t think the others are some unholy sin. That’s just my view point.
I was talking with my stepmom recently and we were talking about the fact that I cuss. Her response was “But you’re so pretty!” Now, I love my stepmom, but she perpetuates the stereotypes of women and cussing. I know she means well, I’m in no means upset about it, but it does enforce the stereotypes. People say these things without realizing what they are actually saying.
I can promise you that if I have a daughter in the future, I won’t tell her to act like a lady. I mean, really think about what that tells a little girl. The concept of a “lady” was created by outdated beliefs, but most importantly, men. I’m supposed to dress, act and think a certain way in order to be considered a “lady”.
I don’t have to feed into the societal expectations in order to be polite and respectful. I can cuss, have tattoos, wear tight leggings, and still manage to be polite to people. Contrary to the world’s belief, the depth of my V-neck shirt does not have an influence on my education and manners. The fact that I cuss has no holdings on how smart I am or how far I get in the world.
When are we going to stop teaching girls that they have to dress and say the right things or people won’t like them? Yeah, for some people that will be true. Guess what though, that’s their loss. We shouldn’t put so much importance on this stuff. We have little girls getting sent to ISS because of their clothing. If no one saw the post about the girl in Mississippi, here’s the link. The girl was not wearing anything offensive, but the school felt her clothing was too tight. Our school systems are sending girls home or to ISS for not being a size 0.
You may think that feminists that argue for women have no basis. You may think that the things they are fighting against are small issues. However, you compound them together and you get the world we live in. Separate they are small issues, together, they form a sickening situation for anyone who considers themselves a female. So excuse me if I offend you, but my response is always going to be “F$%# being a lady”.
