I used to think empowering women went hand in hand with women being able to do whatever they wanted with their bodies, specifically regarding dating and sex. This issue is something I have personally struggled with as a college woman. I have found that I cannot be the girl a boy invites to his house at 2AM, but then doesn’t even say “hi” to at 3PM in the grocery store. If you can happily be that girl, that is awesome. I have tried so hard to be that girl, and hurt myself in the process. As much as we want “no strings attached,” we aren’t made for sex with no love, commitment or responsibility. Regardless of how strong you are, someday this behavior will leave you waking up feeling empty. I think empowering women does not mean encouraging other women to be sexually promiscuous, but instead encouraging all women to raise their standards so men have no choice, but to improve their behavior so we as women don’t have to wake up feeling empty, broken or used ever again. Feminism isn’t about not calling each other “sluts,” although we shouldn’t treat each other like that regardless, feminism is about raising our standards so all men are forced to take us on dates and respect us.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TAMU chapter.