Now that I start college in the fall, parents and other relatives are attempting to cram in last-minute advice. In light of the recent Stanford rape case, most of this advice is “don’t let anyone near your drink” and “don’t end up in a bad situation” and “remember that 'no' means no."

While I understand that they are well-intentioned, I am angry all the same. They are preaching to the choir.

I have heard all of this advice since I started high school, if not before, as have all of my fellow girls. There is no way to avoid any of these warnings if you are female. If you are raised a girl, you are told to not walk alone at night. If you are raised a girl, you are told not to wear tight clothing lest you “give off the wrong impression," and so on.

Growing up as a girl, you are also at the mercy of society’s double standards. For example, if a man has had multiple dating partners, he is automatically considered “experienced." If a woman has had multiple dating partners, she is automatically considered a "slut." If you don’t believe me, just look at the media’s perspective and treatment of Taylor Swift. These double standards also leak into personality types and the workplace, as highlighted in this commercial. A man is a boss, but a woman is bossy, etc.

As a female, I am cautioned not to “be like other girls." These “other girls” are your peers, your co-workers, and the girl you saw walking down the street who might be a size smaller than you. This is intended as a compliment, as clearly noted in various rom-com movies and dating today, but instead, it simply supports the forced competition between women. What is wrong with other girls?

In summarization, being a girl is not all “sugar and spice and everything nice." It is warnings to prevent sexual assault, instead of teaching to not rape. It is being viewed differently from men. It is sexualization from a young age. It is the media pitting woman against woman. It is living with the fact that a woman makes 78 cents for every man's dollar -- and the pay gap is worse for women of color. It is so much more than these 500 words.

The only way to attack these issues is not laying low and conforming to what typical society and media expect. Instead, it is acknowledging the problem: rape culture, victim-blaming, double-standards, and out-dated ideals. It is challenging the problem. It is attempting to make the world a better place for women, not simply because we are your wives or your sisters or your children, but because we are people, too.