A topic that is often ignored (472)

 In the Torch this week a certain topic came up that is very sensitive but in our society today we have become sadly desensitized to it do to the frequency of it. Rape. It happens all the time around the world and it is rarely reported. Ever since I was little I was taught to not expose my skin and to always wear something that won’t make boys look. Why should I have to take extra time to plan around something that a boy should be able to control. Sadly, this has become the norm.

                If girls wear a short skirt, they are “asking for it”. If girls are out too late by themselves they are “asking for it”. If girls drink too much they are “asking for it”. So as a girl I am always told to be home by curfew, not wear revealing clothes, and to follow a buddy rule when I stay out late. As a girl I feel as though this should not be pushed upon me to have to protect myself from another human being. It’s not my fault so why should I have set and strict rules just because of my gender? Better yet, why are we always skipping over the idea that boys should just be taught that no means no?

                It’s enforced even in my learning environment, also. At school there is a dress code obviously but to me it seems as though it is just pushed upon females. Girls can’t wear crop tops that show a little bit of their stomach, but there was a guy walking around school on country day during Spirit Week with no shirt on, just overalls. Do you think he got sent home or even talked to? Of course not.  This is also carried to sports. It’s ok for guys to work out in nothing but shorts and shoes but in the hot weather, girls are not allowed to work out in our sports bras.

                From a young age, girls are enforced like this so guys don’t have to “suffer” or be distracted at school. All this tells me is that a male’s education is valued more than mine, which is not cool. At all.  Instead of treating women like a piece of meat or looking at us as just a sexual symbol, we deserve the same respect that boys get. Instead of teaching girls that their sexuality is all that matters to men, it needs to be taught that they are so much more than that. Women are worthy of education, of respect, and of everything that a male is worthy of.

                Instead of teaching the “cover up”, “don’t be too late”, and “have a friend with you when you walk to your car”, we should teach “Women are beautiful”, “women are worthy”, “women are not property.”