 Throughout history, women have been the considered the “second sex”, objects, and were told to “stay back and let the men do it”. Oppression like that was more apparent and obvious decades ago, and even more so, centuries ago. Today it isn’t as easy to see, but it is still there, and it still affects women everywhere.
A century ago, women's day to day lives looked a lot different. Back then, women weren’t, “ considered a ‘person’ in the eyes of the law,” says The Telegraph. Women weren’t allowed to vote, serve in a jury, or become a lawyer. “For centuries, women were told to stay at home, take care of the cooking and cleaning, and not to push the boundaries,” a quote from the Women's National History Museum claims. However, women’s rights movements, peaceful protests, and changes in legislation have made a huge difference in the injustices women face. Today, women have achieved and are able to do astounding things as social norms. Two years ago, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate by a major party, and even won the majority vote for president. But our past still lingers in the lives of women - especially young women. Sexualizing women has been one of the main challenges a lot of women have to face, especially teens. In school, dress coding is something teen girls face almost daily. So is being called derogatory names by peers, like slut, hoe, and whore. Feeling ashamed of your body, or embarrassed by wearing a shirt or shorts that are too short is something girls feel all the time. It isn’t right for society to be teaching young girls that they are a distraction to others, namely boys. Girls also aren’t just called out in school, even just walking down a street, sometimes women are catcalled and even harassed. Even though times have changed, from women not being allowed to vote to women winning the majority vote for president, there is still a lot more that needs to change. The sexualization of young women is real and felt by millions of girls, and change needs to come. Story by Olivia Agan Comments are closed.
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January 2020
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