Equality shouldn’t be a luxury

Equality has been talked about quite frequently in recent years and it seems as if nothing’s really been done about it. It’s almost as if it will never change.

However, if we keep having this mindset of ‘nothing will ever be different’, then nothing will be improved upon. Equality is much more than just a paycheck or less tax on female hygienic products, it’s more about being treated the same.

It’s a luxury anymore to now go into a place and not be catcalled or stared at because I’m a young woman wanting to go outside of my house.

It’s a luxury to feel human in a public environment for many women due to the fact we are degraded by the looks we receive.

Catcalling, verbal abuse, old men being creepy (whatever you call it) is mostly targeted towards women and it would be a luxury to not be considered an object anymore. Many women across this country allow themselves to think that this is how life is.

Now I know not everyone can understand the degrading and worthless feeling of being catcalled however most women can say that it’s an awful feeling and that it’s no compliment. To be screamed at as if you were a dog is no compliment to anyone.

It. Is. Degrading.

If 51 percent of the country is women, why are we getting treated like dirt?

Equality is much more than a simple paycheck, which a lot of people think that’s where the problem lies.

Usually, the discussion about equality ends at the paycheck–and that’s important. It’s not the first step.

But there are so many other things that must be changed before that. This is evident in how differently women are treated compared to men.

We have to fit this image of a pretty princess. It’s ridiculous that women have to be what men want.

Why can’t we be ourselves and do for ourselves what we traditionally do for men?

It’s ridiculous that we don’t include this in our stance on equality. We are too busy fighting for huge changes but we fail to realize it’s more of a social problem than it is any legality problem.

It would be nice to not be expected to look a certain way or to act a certain way because I am a young woman.

I would love not to have to shave my legs to fit the standard of what a woman should be. It’s ridiculous that there is so much pressure to be this standard for women. In this world is run by men we’ve created standards for women that are almost unachievable and not equal.

In comparison, there aren’t many men that are forced to shave their legs or to wax their eyebrows due to the fact that they have to fit some standard.

It seems as if the world is run by men’s wants and needs, and women are put on the back burner. It’s ridiculous to not see that this is unequal to the highest extent. It’s sad that we’ve allowed these types standards of thoughts and these ridiculous wants to become our new social norm.  

Even at school, there’s not much equality. Even though dress codes are made for both genders it’s clearly obvious that female students get them much more dress codes. There are plenty of boys that break dress code, and will never get in trouble because no one stares at them as much as a female student.

It’s been the social “norm” for women to be the distractions or nuisances in class because they present themselves and certain clothing or how they carry themselves.

Some females are considered “slutty” if they wear a sort of revealing outfit in a public environment clothes that would normally make that woman feel comfortable now make that woman feel ashamed due to the fact people are staring at them and treating them differently. There’s nothing equal about that at all. It’s not equality if we just let this happen to people in our community.

Yes, getting paid the same shouldn’t be a luxury. And Yes, not getting taxed for female hygienic products shouldn’t be a luxury. But these issues shouldn’t be a luxury, they should be a right.

If men treated women as human beings and not objects this would be solved.  

That’s all.

It’s shocking if we would only use common sense than problems would be solved but clearly, the American way is to fix the problem with old ideas of what the perfect life is. It’s clear that this problem isn’t getting solved by the mess that we call the government either.

It’s up to our women of America to tell men off and to show how we need equality. We need to speak up that we are not distracting, we are no pigs for wearing what makes us makes us feel good, and we surely won’t fit men’s need are anymore.

It’s true, to say the least. The future is female.