The Never Ending Fight for Women's Equality
Donald Trump, a man who has been accused of sexual assault countless times, was sworn into office as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017. The following day 673 people came together in protest on the streets of Washington D.C, while an additional 4,956,222 individuals took a stand for women’s rights. The Women’s March on Washington is a day that will go down in history as people around the country as not just a united protest for women’s rights, but for all human rights. The goals and values of this event represent the heart of feminism: equality for all, regardless of sex, race, sexuality, and so forth. A misconception many individuals who do not fully understand feminism often think is that since women can vote and have jobs, they have achieved the equality women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton had fought so hard for. However, this is not the case.
Currently, although women are able to vote and have jobs, they are still not equal to men. To name a few examples, women do not get equal pay for equal work, there's the "glass ceiling", controversy over reproductive rights, and sexual harassment and assault has become the norm for women to face. For some reason, the government (typically white men) feels the need to be the ones to address these issues, even though historically they treat women as inferior. This also raises the obvious question of why are men making decisions about women. One reason is because women are seen more at bodies than human beings. Society promotes the objectification of women through its institutions and the mass media.
Women’s Suffragists, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, dedicated their lives fighting to free women of oppression and help bring equality to men and women. Her work helped us get the right to vote and to be seen more as individuals in the eyes of the law. However, over a hundred years later, women still face inequality. Since birth, gender roles are enforced, and women begin to be viewed more as an object rather than a human being. Society accepts and encourages these sexist ideas by broadcasting them through the media, including music, film, and print. We live in a society where the objectification and disrespect of women is normal and feminism is viewed as a radical thing.
One common example lies within the walls of facilities that are meant to shape our nation’s young minds. Schools promote the objectification of women by enforcing sexist dress codes, which in turn, send a dangerous message to the children. This topic has caused great controversy as stories of girls being punished for things as silly as wearing shorts on a hot day. Those in agreement with harsh dress codes argue that schools have the right to make their own rules and that revealing clothing is distracting to fellow students and staff. To this I must ask: at what cost? Why must the current dress codes shame women for their bodies and send such a sexist message? Can't there be a compromise? Also, what is so distracting about an exposed shoulder or a young girl’s calves? The bigger issue here is that adults are even humoring the thought that a young girl is sexual, which is beyond inappropriate. In addition, they are sending the message that the comfort of men is more important than the education of women. Girls should not be sent home from a place of learning because wearing shorts on a hot day is too “revealing”. Another influence on the toxic spread of societal beliefs that are based on the objectification of women is what we are seeing on television.
Turn on the T.V. and by the end of the first commercial break one will have most likely seen Many argue in favor of the media’s freedom to broadcast women in a way that markets products with sex appeal fail to see the deeper problem here. Some claim that if a company wants to pay to have a woman ditch her clothes and sensually eat a burger then they could, and that they have the right to air such footage because of their freedom of speech. Yes, we are entitled to speak freely, but are there not any other marketing strategies that can be utilized instead of degrading women. Also, it is quite ironic that corporations sell products with the use of sex appeal while schools crack down on little girls over an exposed shoulder. This means that it is acceptable to not be “modestly” dressed if it is benefiting men, while at the same time it is an issue when a girl chooses to by themselves. It is quite baffling to see at what a large scale men try to control women's bodies at. This goes hand in hand with concept of slut shaming. Guys love seeing girls in lingerie in media, yet are quick to call a woman a whore when she posts a body positivity selfie online. There is a strong double standard here. Not to mention that this brings to question the quality of said product if they need to distract viewers from it with a half-naked woman.
Sadly, the T.V. is not the only source of women being degraded to make a man money. There is a plethora of male celebrity figures that use the disrespect of women to make them seem more interesting or cool. Furthermore, women are objectified and degraded in music. Listen to any rap song and you will hear women get referred to as “bitch” or “hoe”. By doing so, musicians are sending the message that women are less than a human being. Society worships male celebrities that brag about how many girls they have sex with and treat them as something that exists for the sole purpose of sexually pleasing them. Evidence of such ideas is often seen in men's music videos. The worst part of this objectification is not the fact that sexist men are profiting off women's bodies nor that society accepts media's negative messages, but rather the fact that this is hurting young girls. Do we really want to be part of a society whose actions and everyday choices contribute to the pain of our country's youth? Is a one hit wonder song worth the little girl that is going to grow up believing she owes boys her body to do with as they please because some rapper sang such ideas? Is that actress whose role was solely to make the male lead look good going to inspire their young viewers to pursue acting or rather inspire them to skip dinner to get the body these men seem to want? It is vital that we, the people, make conscious decisions when choosing what we are advertising to the world. No form of media is worth the pain of another.
In conclusion, women are objectified daily and it begins the moment they are born. The objectification of women is so deeply engrained in American Society, but we need change. It is time to encourage our children to see women differently and help them understand what the previous generations have failed to teach: men and women are equal and there is absolutely no reason for society to continue degrading women for the benefit of men.
There are many simple things we, as individuals, can do to help contribute to changing the sexist message society proudly sends. For example:
Ladies, dress in what makes you feel comfortable and empowered. It is time to end the notion of dressing to please men.
Many people’s careers are around researching marketing strategies based on audience, so make it be known that you, the audience, are against the demeaning marketing choices many companies make.
Look at the models in catalogues and online, their photos are edited to give off the false image of perfection that can give viewers unrealistic and sometimes dangerous body and beauty expectations. So, call them out! Tweet it, write a letter, send an email, tell a friend- anything to encourage these companies to be honest with the consumers. The use of Photoshop to hide stretch marks, freckles, skin discoloration and other normal imperfections sends false messages of what a women should look like to viewers. This can result in issues with body image and self esteem.
Speak up! In the age of social media where it is now possible for your voice to be heard around the world, there is no better time to be speaking out against the everyday objectification of women. Change cannot be made unless we get the conversation going.
