There have been many instances where men and other people have affected me and my life. Being a woman, sometimes I feel like my life is constantly being decided by others. I cannot help but think about how many other women have experienced the same thing. This isn’t just something that has happened since I started at BGSU, but my whole life. It is something I think needs to be brought to light and discussed at a higher level. It’s 2026, and I still get dehumanized and insulted for being a woman. I’ve been told to stop acting like a minority, but I don’t even have full access to healthcare in most states.
The other day, I was called a “foid” for the first time. I did not even know what this term meant. I had to ask my boyfriend who then explained it as a derogatory term men used to describe women as “female humanoids.” You may be wondering, in what context I was called that in, well, I actually proceeded to get called that multiple times by the same man proceeding that instance. All of them were a response to me expressing an opinion or even sharing an Instagram reel. I am not sure why he decided that this was a good response to my actions, but it made me feel terrible. It is not every woman’s dream to be described as a humanoid. What does that even mean? That I act like a robot? That I’m unknowledgeable? I don’t think the meaning even matters when the intent of the man saying that was to insult and dehumanize.
There have been many instances where men go about their lives dehumanizing women for just purely existing. There are still comments on women belonging in the kitchen or not belonging People claim that we no longer are oppressed, but yet there is still a national wage gap. If companies didn’t control their wages, I would make 80-82 cents for every dollar a man makes. Roe v Wade was voted to get overturned when I was 16 years old. I lost the national universal right to get an abortion and little did I know that it would proceed to attack my access to other women based healthcare like birth control.
Not only is there lack of respect nationally, but locally and personally as well. At Cornell University, a women who trusted a male friend proceeded to be raped for seven hours by seven men and 50 other men knew about it. Not one of them spoke out or reported it. This happened in 2024, and it is just now being talked about. Many of the accused were allowed to mitigate their punishments by submitting an essay. But, it’s still “not all men” right? How can you expect a woman to trust that it isn’t all men when it can be the ones closest to her? The men closest to us could be voting against our rights, planning to roofie a freshman in the bar, etc. Men simply cannot claim that it’s not all men, but it’s enough of them for us to be weary and scared. If you had a container of twelve strawberries and 6 of them were drugged with Heroine, would you attempt to eat a strawberry?
I have also been told that women choose to be oppressed, because we don’t advocate enough or stand up enough in ways that are productive. When women protested for the 19th amendment some were locked in prisons. They felt the need to still protest and did so by refusing to eat. Then, as punishment their mouths were forced opened using an iron jaw so the officers could feed them. Those women achieved their goal of receiving the right to vote. Women do not choose to be oppressed; it is forced upon us by elected officials and society itself. It feels so suffocating when the place that you were born in is actively working against your existence.
Being a women in 2026 is exhausting. It is a never-ending battle of trying to gain respect and rights. So, the next time someone insults you for being a woman, or gives you a hard time for our history, or current stance in society, remember that they are the problem. We as women need to stand up for ourselves and voice who is hurting us. We continue to protest and rally in support of each other, because in this society women truly don’t have anyone else but one another who understands. Please do not lose your passions or drive because men are trying to drown you out.
Thanks for reading,
KH <3