“Hey sweetheart, why don’t you get in my car and show me what those lips can do? Don’t you want to go for a ride?”
I had just walked out of work after a 10-hour shift, it was 11:30 PM and all I wanted was to get home and go to sleep. My dad hates that I walk home from work alone but I assure him every night, that I’ll be alright. As I approached the corner to cross the street, a car full of older men pulled up next to me. In that moment, I knew they weren’t going to let me go on my merry-way home. They pulled their windows down and began screaming vulgar statements at me. “Hey sweetheart, why don’t you get in my car and show me what those lips can do? Don’t you want to go for a ride?” I was disgusted, scared, and mostly puzzled. I was puzzled because, for the life of me, I could not understand how an older man could look at me, an 18-year-old girl, and say the things he was saying. Doesn’t he have a mother, a sister, or maybe even a cousin who’s a girl? What would he do to the man who says that to a woman he loves or cares about?
But then I thought, “why does having an important woman in your life, need to be the reason for you to not yell offensive things at ANY woman?” The worst part is, I’m used to these harassing comments being yelled at me. The worst part is, I EXPECTED this to happen. The worst part is, society has become completely accustomed to believe that this is normal. I NEED feminism, and so do you.
“You must be a man-hater,” “It’s just way too extreme for me,” “So do you want to protest naked or something?” These are just some of the things I hear, when I tell people I’m a feminist. Most people don’t understand what feminism truly stands for and especially don’t understand how important it is.
Feminism is about gaining equal rights and opportunities for women, and allowing women to have control over their lives and bodies. Feminism is purely about that notion that women are people. Any one can be a feminist. There are male and female feminists. In an age where women continue to be over-sexualized and underpaid, feminism is something that all people should believe in and teach their children about. Here’s the thing: you don’t have to protest or join a club in order to consider yourself a feminist. Being a feminist simply means that you believe men and women should have equal rights, equal treatment, and equal opportunity.
No woman should be cat-called while walking down the street. No woman should earn less, when doing the same job as a man. No woman should be taught how to prevent being raped, instead of teaching men not to rape. No woman should be told how she should take care of an unplanned pregnancy.
All women should be able to wear whatever the hell they want, without being called a name. All woman should be allowed to make decisions on their body without being judged for it. All woman should have the right to walk home without being harassed.
If you believe in human rights, individual rights, and equality for all; you are a feminist.
