I could tell you about my childhood, where I was teased for preferring the Chicago Bulls and sports to the latest tweenie heart-throb and baby dolls. Or how I endured physical and verbal harassment I had developed breasts at a you
My name is Kelley, I'm 25. Like most women, at every stage of my life, I have encountered countless testimonies of sexism. Some were small and at face value seem insignificant; some were quite painful. But I feel it is my duty as a woman and a feminist to name these issues. So, where to begin?
I could tell you about my childhood, where I was teased for preferring the Chicago Bulls and sports to the latest tweenie heart-throb and baby dolls. Or how I endured physical and verbal harassment because I had developed breasts at a young age. Or how I wasn't let on the 1st grade basketball team because I was a girl, so I was encouraged to be a cheerleader instead.
I could talk about Disney movies, where every young lady needs to be rescued by a gentleman. And Beauty and the Beast? That's right, kids. Just stick by that cruel, abusive man. You'll see he actually has a heart of gold.
Or I could talk about when I went shopping for my niece at Toys R Us, and saw an entire section actually labeled "cooking and cleaning" on the "girls'" side. Way to get them started early so they know their place.
I could talk about being a teenager growing up in a small agricultural community of about 800 people. And how men hunted, farmed, and watched demolition derbies. In that town, women were either trapped there or lived through their husbands. Their lives and happiness completely depended on men, many of whom were chauvinistic, racist, and homophobic.
I could talk about "The Kids Are Alright," which was, to my knowledge, the first and only really big movie where the main characters were lesbians. And, of course, one of them has an affair with a man. Because all women, even lesbian women, just need a penis to fix everything.
And I could talk about my life as an adult. As a college student majoring in Legal Studies, most people ask if I want to be a paralegal, while my male counterparts with the same major are asked where they will be attending law school. Or I could tell you about wearing fishnet stockings at the after-party following a night of playing in a roller derby bout, and getting my ass grabbed or slapped my men, as if what I am wearing is considered permission to touch me. Or I could talk about getting hit on by men, and when I tell them I am a lesbian, common responses include "you can bring a friend" or "you just haven't met the right man."
I could spend all day talking about religion and the damage it has done to women and homosexuals. The closed minded and hateful cite religious works as a crutch to justify sexism and homophobia. I could tell you about how I think a more progressive translation of these works would keep women and homosexuals from feeling so alienated. I could add that utilizing diversity in the voice of the church would promote love and acceptance, which goes much further than bigoted exclusion and tolerance.
I could tell you about every story I could possibly remember. About every time I read, heard, or saw something that offended me as a feminist. I could go on about how sexism was the first brand of discrimination and how it still exists in virtually every culture. I could tell you about my friends' stories. I could talk about rape and rape culture. About chastity. About western gynecology. I could talk about the harms of microaggressions and how unbelievably common they are. Or how women are seen as the "other". I could talk about the media's role in sexism. And pop culture. Politics. Women's rights to their bodies. I could talk about the sexual objectification of women. I could ask why our culture views "feminist" as a bad word. I could talk about domestic violence. I could talk about the patriarchal institution of religion. I could talk about equal pay and slut shaming. Double standards and gender roles. Male privilege. Maternity and single motherhood. I could write a book. And would I even be doing more than just nicking the tip of the iceberg?
It breaks my heart to see injustice spilling over women everywhere like this. What hurts me even more is that women get the idea that they are inferior to men drilled into their heads so much that many women begin to internalize it and believe all the bullshit about them being "less than." Women need equality in every facet of human existence. We need to make legal progress and we need to change the mentality of most of the world. It is a long journey ahead, but a necessary one. The first step is naming the problem, letting others know that this is a very real issue. And I want to thank everyone who has had the courage to share their stories as well.. Or how I wasn't let on the 1st grade basketball team because I was a girl, so I was encouraged to be a cheerleader instead.
I could talk about Disney movies, where every young lady needs to be rescued by a gentleman. And Beauty and the Beast? That's right, kids. Just stick by that cruel, abusive man. You'll see he actually has a heart of gold.
Or I could talk about when I went shopping for my niece at Toys R Us, and saw an entire section actually labeled "cooking and cleaning" on the "girls'" side. Way to get them started early so they know their place.
I could talk about being a teenager growing up in a small agricultural community of about 800 people. And how men hunted, farmed, and watched demolition derbies. In that town, women were either trapped there or lived through their husbands. Their lives and happiness completely depended on men, many of whom were chauvinistic, racist, and homophobic.
I could talk about "The Kids Are Alright," which was, to my knowledge, the first and only really big movie where the main characters were lesbians. And, of course, one of them has an affair with a man. Because all women, even lesbian women, just need a penis to fix everything.
And I could talk about my life as an adult. As a college student majoring in Legal Studies, most people ask if I want to be a paralegal, while my male counterparts with the same major are asked where they will be attending law school. Or I could tell you about wearing fishnet stockings at the after-party following a night of playing in a roller derby bout, and getting my ass grabbed or slapped my men, as if what I am wearing is considered permission to touch me. Or I could talk about getting hit on by men, and when I tell them I am a lesbian, common responses include "you can bring a friend" or "you just haven't met the right man."
I could spend all day talking about religion and the damage it has done to women and homosexuals. The closed minded and hateful cite religious works as a crutch to justify sexism and homophobia. I could tell you about how I think a more progressive translation of these works would keep women and homosexuals from feeling so alienated. I could add that utilizing diversity in the voice of the church would promote love and acceptance, which goes much further than bigoted exclusion and tolerance.
I could tell you about every story I could possibly remember. About every time I read, heard, or saw something that offended me as a feminist. I could go on about how sexism was the first brand of discrimination and how it still exists in virtually every culture. I could tell you about my friends' stories. I could talk about rape and rape culture. About chastity. About western gynecology. I could talk about the harms of microaggressions and how unbelievably common they are. Or how women are seen as the "other". I could talk about the media's role in sexism. And pop culture. Politics. Women's rights to their bodies. I could talk about the sexual objectification of women. I could ask why our culture views "feminist" as a bad word. I could talk about domestic violence. I could talk about the patriarchal institution of religion. I could talk about equal pay and slut shaming. Double standards and gender roles. Male privilege. Maternity and single motherhood. I could write a book. And would I even be doing more than just nicking the tip of the iceberg?
It breaks my heart to see injustice spilling over women everywhere like this. What hurts me even more is that women get the idea that they are inferior to men drilled into their heads so much that many women begin to internalize it and believe all the bullshit about them being "less than." Women need equality in every facet of human existence. We need to make legal progress and we need to change the mentality of most of the world. It is a long journey ahead, but a necessary one. The first step is naming the problem, letting others know that this is a very real issue. And I want to thank everyone who has had the courage to share their stories as well.
I could talk about Disney movies, where every young lady needs to be rescued by a gentleman. And Beauty and the Beast? That's right, kids. Just stick by that cruel, abusive man. You'll see he actually has a heart of gold.
Or I could talk about when I went shopping for my niece at Toys R Us, and saw an entire section actually labeled "cooking and cleaning" on the "girls'" side. Way to get them started early so they know their place.
I could talk about being a teenager growing up in a small agricultural community of about 800 people. And how men hunted, farmed, and watched demolition derbies. In that town, women were either trapped there or lived through their husbands. Their lives and happiness completely depended on men, many of whom were chauvinistic, racist, and homophobic.
I could talk about "The Kids Are Alright," which was, to my knowledge, the first and only really big movie where the main characters were lesbians. And, of course, one of them has an affair with a man. Because all women, even lesbian women, just need a penis to fix everything.
And I could talk about my life as an adult. As a college student majoring in Legal Studies, most people ask if I want to be a paralegal, while my male counterparts with the same major are asked where they will be attending law school. Or I could tell you about wearing fishnet stockings at the after-party following a night of playing in a roller derby bout, and getting my ass grabbed or slapped my men, as if what I am wearing is considered permission to touch me. Or I could talk about getting hit on by men, and when I tell them I am a lesbian, common responses include "you can bring a friend" or "you just haven't met the right man."
I could spend all day talking about religion and the damage it has done to women and homosexuals. The closed minded and hateful cite religious works as a crutch to justify sexism and homophobia. I could tell you about how I think a more progressive translation of these works would keep women and homosexuals from feeling so alienated. I could add that utilizing diversity in the voice of the church would promote love and acceptance, which goes much further than bigoted exclusion and tolerance.
I could tell you about every story I could possibly remember. About every time I read, heard, or saw something that offended me as a feminist. I could go on about how sexism was the first brand of discrimination and how it still exists in virtually every culture. I could tell you about my friends' stories. I could talk about rape and rape culture. About chastity. About western gynecology. I could talk about the harms of microaggressions and how unbelievably common they are. Or how women are seen as the "other". I could talk about the media's role in sexism. And pop culture. Politics. Women's rights to their bodies. I could talk about the sexual objectification of women. I could ask why our culture views "feminist" as a bad word. I could talk about domestic violence. I could talk about the patriarchal institution of religion. I could talk about equal pay and slut shaming. Double standards and gender roles. Male privilege. Maternity and single motherhood. I could write a book. And would I even be doing more than just nicking the tip of the iceberg?
It breaks my heart to see injustice spilling over women everywhere like this. What hurts me even more is that women get the idea that they are inferior to men drilled into their heads so much that many women begin to internalize it and believe all the bullshit about them being "less than." Women need equality in every facet of human existence. We need to make legal progress and we need to change the mentality of most of the world. It is a long journey ahead, but a necessary one. The first step is naming the problem, letting others know that this is a very real issue. And I want to thank everyone who has had the courage to share their stories as well.