By Zoya Shafan
I believe that sexism is a very big issue in the world today. People think that by being a feminist you are anti-men. This is wrong. Being a feminist is wanting equal rights for women and men.
When feminism is mentioned people always say, “equal rights mean equal fights”. I believe violence should not be used against anyone, male or female.
When women talk about equal rights, we mean we want women paid the same as men (if they have the same role at work). Women are cat-called and when they speak up about it, people blame them and tell them it’s their fault because of what they are wearing. Girls are shamed for wearing dresses, skirts, and shorts but men can walk around shirtless and receive no backlash.
People will often justify sexual assault by saying that her clothes were too “short and revealing” so she was “asking for it”. Sexual assault can happen to both, women, and men, but some people think that it is okay to make jokes about rape. When they are confronted about it, they call it “dark humour” and tell you to stop being soft and take a joke. In no way at all, is rape or sexual assault funny, some people think that it is cool to make jokes like that and they think it makes them “edgy”.
Body shaming. Body shaming can happen a lot and can be very harmful. It, once again, is something that can happen to girls and boys. People will call a skinny girl “anorexic” and tell her to eat a burger but when they put on weight, they shame them and tell them to work out.
Women are constantly criticised, and nothing is ever good enough. This needs to change.
Zoya Shafan (13)