illustration: Josie Phelan
design: Morgan Kubetin
The month of March is National Women’s Month, a month often overlooked and not well enough recognized. We have been suppressed on a daily basis for years now and a month will never be enough to gain the years women have lost fighting for equality.
The older I have gotten, the more educated I became on the subject of women’s rights and the importance of equality in our society. The topic is controversial for what women should be able to do and it’s not fair to make comparisons for why we shouldn’t. Such as, referring to how women were treated a century ago to now.
We recently welcomed a new female vice president into the White House, and it is by far a mile marker for America that we are adapting positively. That being said, even a woman with a high-rank is a victim of criticism.
The derogatory words that people call women and how people sexualize women are inexplicable. According to the New York Times, a priest in Texas was appalled by the fact he is reminded of a religious powerful female figure “Jezebel” when seeing Kamala Harris. He refers to “Jezebel” as a power-hungry monster. New York Times stated many males supported the claim that she is a reminder of this woman in religious history as well. “Jezebel” is a figure that carries a reputation related to “sexism, racism and dehumanization”, Mike Fugitt wrote for the New York Times.
Women like Kamala Harris, regardless of one’s political stance, have opened doors to a new America, along with women such as Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone and Ida B. Wells. These women didn’t want change for their own selfish reasons, and they never acted unfairly. They simply argued what was just.
As a young woman, it is remarkable to see the diligence and courage they had to fight for my future and my kids’ futures that no man will understand.
For years, women have tried to prove their place in society, and even in high school!
Unicef USA wrote an article on the sexualization and exploitation of girls and how the media and the culture now surrounding females is “all too often, the media sends the message that girls should be pretty, not powerful; noticed, not respected. And this is incredibly harmful, not just to a girl and her development, but to our culture at large.” Media being, such a big influence on today’s adolescents, has given young boys and girls this substandard image of girls.
Events in today’s society, such as electing the first female vice president, need to be known as the beginning of a positive and hopefully effective change. Instead of tearing her down based off of old beliefs, we need to praise her for her courage and all of the other women who have courage as well.
