Before writing this article, I texted my friends to get some inspiration and ideas. I texted them, “What are some fears of being a woman besides walking alone at night, getting raped, being forced into sex trafficking, getting our rights taken away, sexual assault, catcalls, and experiencing sexism in all aspects of life?”. After sending the text I was in shock at how many serious fears I was able to list off the top of my head, and how those weren’t the only ones out there. Some horrors of being a woman that I would like to cover are: Postpartum Depression and being a woman in the military.
Postpartum Depression is a serious problem that most people don’t talk about. Postpartum Depression develops after a woman gives birth to her newborn child. Common symptoms of this mental illness are feeling a disconnect from your child, mood swings, excessive crying, lack of energy, and many others (Women’s Health). Many women are ashamed of feeling this way and tend to not seek help. However, numerous celebrities have revealed that they have experienced Postpartum Depression themselves, and how women shouldn’t deal with this alone. For example, Chrissy Teigan opens up about her postpartum depression struggles after her past pregnancies. According to an article by NBC News, she stated, “It can happen to anybody and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone”. Additionally, when speaking about PPD Hayden Panettiere shared to Today’s Parent, “There are a lot of people out there that think it’s not real, that it’s not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that ‘Oh, it’s hormones.’ They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary, and women need a lot of support”. Celebrities sharing their own stories have helped to normalize this condition, and that other women should open up about their experiences. I personally believe this problem isn’t widely talked about and supported, but it should be. Not only do women experience pain during their pregnancy, but the sad fact is that they can experience this new type of pain afterward.
Another major problem women face is discrimination and harassment in the military. According to CFR, today, women represent 16% of enlisted forces and 19% of officer corps, significantly outnumbered by men. This past year, America heard the devastating story of Vanessa Guillén. Vanessa Guillén was a member of the United States Military and was brutally murdered by another soldier, Aaron David Robinson, at Fort Hood. After investigating her disappearance and death, authorities discovered, according to Army Times, “18 out of 52 women surveyed on Fort Hood, about one-third, reported being sexually harassed”. Sexual harassment and discrimination is a common struggle that women in the military face, but are too ashamed to talk about. Additionally, when women do come out and report it, it is commonly overlooked and not taken seriously. Lucy Del Gaudio, an army veteran states, “‘Women do not report because we fear for our safety. We fear for our future. We fear retaliation. Nearly every year the same reports have pointed to the rise in numbers of cases, yet we don’t know how many have gone unreported … we have to do better by our women.’”. Vanessa Guillen’s death sparked a movement for active female soldiers and veterans on social media. Women in combat who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse while serving used the hashtag #IamVanessaGuillen, and finally shared their own stories. When people think of soldiers, they fear the danger they can experience from our enemies. However, women in our military have been experiencing danger from their own fellow soldiers and their own system.
People rarely talk about the seriousness of Postpartum Depression and females in the military. These are just two examples of the never-ending horrors that women experience.