“Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult.”
~Charlotte Whitton
This whole article could turn into a huge argument on how sexism still exists in the workforce and in society. And, in my humble opinion, sexism does exist and it is pointless to argue that fact. We live in a world where the main goal in the life of a woman is to beautiful yet unassuming, thin yet curvy, smart yet not too smart, modest yet super sexy (and a little slutty), submissive yet dominant, independent yet vulnerable…the list goes on. There are so many expectations put upon us, collegiettes, that we have no hope of ever fulfilling these criteria and sitting on that perfect pedestal.
Here’s the truth, though—we shouldn’t strive to be on that elusive pedestal. We, as the next generation, should strive to come into our own, to form and mold our own identities, ones in which we truly accept who we are as individuals and don’t buy into the Perfection Culture that is so engrained in our society. Having said that, however, I understand that it’s hard, really hard to get away from the delusion that we are meant to fit a specific picture of a woman instead of being and accepting ourselves.
What truly infuriates me is when I see girls younger than me who are already feeling the pressure to look a certain way or enter into a romantic relationship that they aren’t ready for, creating for the potential for them to become codependent. With all of the pressures that are put on young girls today, adding sexism on top of that is limiting them all the more today.
I would encourage you to embrace your womanhood. Just like in Ms. Whitton’s quote—you are capable of so much, and just because people underestimate you, doesn’t mean that you can’t do what you dream. You are who you are; you are who you want to be. But don’t wait around for something to change so you can be yourself—live it out now! I believe in you!