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Sexism: As It Shapes Girls' Lives

My encounters with sexism whilst growing up.

By Published 6 years ago 3 min read
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Sexism, as defined by Google, is the following: prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. Sexism is something we see all around us, day by day. As we grow up, we are subconsciously and consciously raised into a mindset that sexism is the norm.

Since we were little girls, we have heard negative connotations around the very word ‘girl’. If a little boy is running slow, he is running ‘like a girl’. If a little boy doesn't throw well, he is throwing ‘like a girl’. If a little boy can't hit the baseball with a bat, he is swinging ‘like a girl’. ‘Like a girl’, as if that was something negative. Women are the personification of strength, yet as women we have became a punchline.

We enter middle school, and now dress codes are strictly enforced. We can't wear leggings, show our shoulders. The humiliation of being dress coded is hard to explain to those that have not experienced it. Especially here at St. Matthew High School. It’s dress down day, and we walk into school confident and happy. I was in ninth grade, only 14 years old when I was first dress coded. I walked into my classroom, in an outfit deemed appropriate by my father. I was almost immediately called to the front of the room by my teacher, who loudly told the class that my leggings are exactly what we should not be wearing. I was singled out and humiliated in front of my peers for wearing leggings. I left the class in tears, humiliated and angry. How dare she do that to me in front of everyone? What is wrong with leggings? I went to the office and asked what the problem was with my outfit. I was informed that the way I was dressed was distracting. At 14, I missed a class because I was a distraction. Raising young girls hearing this narrative is immensely destructive to self esteem. My education was interrupted because my body may be distracting to others. We are taught to love ourselves, to be confident in our bodies. Yet we are humiliated and torn down for dressing in a fashion that celebrates our bodies. While I can understand the distinction between dressing in a manner that is appropriate or inappropriate for school, matters of dress code infractions should not be emotionally traumatic for young girls.

In high school we start reading the news, paying attention to current events. We hear stories and get our first taste of outrage at the blatant sexism present in sexual assault cases. The now notorious Brock Turner rape case is my example. Reading about this case made me feel physically sick. In cases of sexual assault the women is often thought to be fabricating her side of the story, or simply exaggerating. Louise O’Neill was quoted saying “They are all innocent until proven guilty. But not me. I am a liar until I am proven honest.” Factors like what a woman was wearing, what she was drinking, are used as the nails on her coffin. While alcohol may have been a catalyst, why are we blaming the victim for drinking? Drinking was never the crime. The sexual assault was the crime. This is an example of systemic sexism. We grow up seeing this, watching woman being victimised and blamed.

Women are strong and capable of achieving anything they wish. Working together for a better future is the only possible resolution to the problem of sexism. We need to teach our girls that being a girl is nothing but positive. However, we must also teach our children the importance of respectful and consensual relationships.

feminism
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