A man in her campus? Aman in HerCampus?
A few months ago, my friend was telling me about her recent visit to South Korea for a MUN conference. Under a male lead, her team was told not to go out at night and that there was an expectation for them to dress “modestly.”
Sometime later, I was walking with her to get some food, and we got a few judgemental stares from our supposed “friends,” who were whispering things like: “What are these two doing together?”, “Look at her skimpy clothes”, and “She is such a sl*t, going out with different guys all the time.”
Later that year, she took up a summer internship, and unfortunately found out how male-dominant her new workplace was. Women’s opinions were not considered, they were given fewer promotions, and if a woman asked for a maternity leave, she was either asked to leave forever, or to take up a smaller role upon returning.
So why am I talking about this? Why does it matter? Who is the girl? Who am I?
That’s my cue to introduce myself.
Hello, there! I am Aman, the first male writer for HerCampus McGill. I am an Indian, studying Computer Science in Hong Kong, and on exchange to McGill this semester. I have a keen interest in filmmaking, travelling and writing.
Fun fact: I can’t handle spicy food. Considering my background, even I don’t understand why…
Exchange Student – One Semester – Computer Science – Male...hmm..this doesn’t add up..
So why am I even writing for HerCampus? What’s the motivation?
Well, I have been to quite a few places and met a lot of people, and many of them have experiences similar to that of my friend. From the recent topic of Trump’s Locker Room talks all over the media, to my friend’s experience in day to day life, the reality is that things like these keep happening.
What can I do about this? How can I change this? When will the world start treating everyone as equals? I ask myself these questions daily, and honestly, it makes me uncomfortable. As a man, I feel offended, and helpless at the same time. Hearing these sexist occurrences every day and not being able to do anything about it, makes me want to take action.
So, the big question? How? How do I bring a change? What can I do to help?
Personally, I believe that empowering people to bring change forward is very important. And that’s why I wanted to be a part of HerCampus. For me, this is a thought, an idea. It is more than a group of women trying to talk about a bunch of different things. It empowers them to put forward the things that they like, find interesting, funny, emotional or upsetting. It advances the idea that we are all the same, and deserve equality. This is something I would want to have in my home university and in my country as well. A channel for women to speak.
As an individual, I decide to treat humans as equals, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicities, color or religions. And I believe that everyone should.
Thus, I am here. To make a difference, a little one, but it’s a start. A good start.
Cheers.
Images obtained from:
http://www.vis10dwarka.com/vis10/Articles/be%20the%20change%20fnial.html