Many are up in arms over recently released video that shows Donald Trump bragging about sexually harassing women, and their concerns are completely understandable. He has called his comments “locker room talk.” His excuse is certainly unsettling. Referring to and supporting these comments as locker room talk perpetuates the concept that these comments are normal, that these comments are expected from men. “Locker room talk” is similar to the idea that “boys will be boys.” While “boys will be boys” is a more commonly used excuse, it’s still a terrible one. Saying that boys can do and/or say whatever they want because it is expected boy behavior does not hold them accountable for something they’re doing wrong, and it teaches them that they can keep up this behavior and get away with it.

Michelle Obama has given a speech against Trump’s comments. She states that this is not just the “locker room talk” that Trump calls it. Michelle says that Trump is “a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior.” No, this is not something normal that all men say about women. It is dehumanizing and objectifying. This kind of talk strips away women’s status as humans and paints them as objects for men to conquer. This kind of talk makes it more likely that the next man who is charged of rape will only be given three months’ punishment because a jail sentence can ruin his life. His life, as opposed to the shattered life of the woman who he raped. It’s time to stop looking at rape and sexual assault as funny things that boys will do because they’re boys, and that’s expected. The fact of the matter is these things ruin lives.

It’s also time for politicians, celebrities, and everyone else to stop saying that they are offended by statements like Trump’s because they have female family members. No one is different for being related to a woman. Everyone should be offended by Trump’s comments because women are humans. Their value as a person is not determined by their relationship to men.

Michelle goes on to say that she, as a woman, personally felt Trump’s comments, as she is sure that most women do. To think that there are people out there who see Trump’s conversation as typical is terrifying. To think that we can unknowingly be around people with this view point is unsettling. If these comments are widely believed, it’s no wonder that women feel the need to take every precaution when they want to go anywhere. Pepper spray is a must-have defense for any woman who is meeting a date for the first time. A woman asking another woman to text her when she is safely home is nothing out of the unusual. A woman who leaves her drink at a bar feels the need to order another one in case anyone might have slipped her something while she was gone. Women know the precautions that they have to take, and yet they are still attacked and assaulted, sometimes even killed. Is it the woman’s fault that they did not take enough precautions against a man who is not expected to take any? Will telling women to take even more precautions solve the problem? I don’t think so. I don’t think the problem is how much pepper spray a woman carries or how early a woman goes home. The real problem is thinking that “locker room talk” is normal.