In 1848
By Claudia Panico
In 1848 women were treated unfairly and we are still being treated unfairly in 2021. It has been over 100 years and women are still being objectified. Being a woman in this society means that we are opening ourselves up to constant criticism by a majority of people. It’s almost never good criticism that we receive. There is always something wrong. Whether that be how we act, how we look, how we carry ourselves, or maybe even how we talk, nothing has changed in the last 100 years. The objectifying, the high expectations, and the pressures we as women had to deal with hundreds of years ago is still happening to this day. It's time that we start to change our perspective on women.
Why should we have to change how we are because of misogynistic people in this world? Being a woman in society today is very difficult. We are always told that we need to change how we look and how we act. It's never good enough for anybody, and it's ridiculous. The expectations for women are horrendous, because no one can live up to those expectations. Therefore, we end up hurting ourselves just so we can fit in, like starving ourselves, making ourselves throw up, or overworking ourselves just so we can live up to these impossible expectations made by society. We are pressured into changing ourselves everyday. This could damage our self perspective.
We as women get demoralized and told that we are objects or worse treated like we are disposable. We get treated like we aren't even human beings. We don't deserve to be treated like anything less than human. We also deserve to have the same opportunities as men. It’s very degrading when women want to work in a male dominant work setting, and then they get treated like they can't handle the pressure that comes along with the job. It's like everyone in this horror movie of a world thinks that they have the right to objectify women and that they can't handle anything. However, that’s just not true, we are people and we should be treated like human beings and not be dehumanized. We have to prove we belong places just so we can prove we have what it takes. It feels like women will never be equal in society, we will still be degraded, belittled and that needs to change because this is 2021. Why aren't we good enough for this society? Why can't we ever just be ourselves? I will never understand why the majority of this misogynistic world wants us to be a certain way, no matter how much it hurts us or even kills us. The hold that is over us is exhausting. Asking ourselves those “What if” and “Why” questions can take a mental toll on women all around the world because we are constantly doubting ourselves each and every day; being insecure is a reality.
We will almost always wonder in the back of our minds if we are good enough. In addition, teenagers are more susceptible to becoming anorexic or bulimic just because everyone makes them feel like they can't be who they are. The wondering if we are ever good enough is what drives us into depression, anxiety, possibly even suicide all because everyone makes us feel worthless. The insecurities that we have could lead to very toxic relationships, we as women most of the time dont have the strength to leave. According to society, if we do try and leave then that could make us look like we are weak. However, if we stay in that relationship, then it seems like we are depending on that one person and can't be on our own. For the women in these situations it's a lose lose situation, because it’s either that we look weak or that we are dependent. This makes women look weak in the eyes of society.
We need to change how we perceive women and what we decide to put them through because we are killing bright, talented women just by telling them they need to be different, especially teenagers. We can't keep trying to get women to change who they are because we hurt them more than we can understand. Words go deeper than the surface. We should already be equal and not treated like something that people can just throw away. It takes one person to bring us down, but it also takes one person to be the start of something new. So I will leave you with this parting thought, do you want to be a part of the problem or do you want to be a part of the solution?