About two days ago, I rode a train to get to my classes and I assumed the ride would be like any other normal commute. It ended up being one of the most uncomfortable and anxiety-ridden 30 minutes of my life when a man sitting on the opposite part of the train came up and sat across from me; he continued to stare at me the entire time whilst attempting to be discreet, though I blatantly saw his reflection on my window. Apart from the staring, he also made a few sexual gestures that, again, he thought I didn’t notice. What really enraged me was that he thought it was perfectly fine to publicly objectify my body and act nonchalantly when I looked his way. Unfortunately, I had too much anxiety to get up and walk away so I stuck out the uncomfortable trip the entire way there. This should not be the type of actions young women see, yet it happens every day.
Women's bodies are so sexualized in today's era that it's merely common for families and young children to see billboards and magazines with nearly nude women. As a feminist, I feel the first step into a more equal society is to create a better image of all women's bodies as strong, intelligent beings just as men's bodies are portrayed. Along with equality, there are tougher realizations like equal drafting into wars, equal pay, and equal marriage terms. The latter of which is up to the happy couple, but it should be perfectly okay for a woman to propose to a man with a gorgeous, expensive engagement ring. Another problem rises when young women see these magazines and billboards and develop body image issues where the only ideal is to look like a model to be accepted.
There are many organizations like Free the Nipple Campaign which deals with censorship of breasts. The idea gained a lot more traction after social media boosts through #FreetheNipple. As I read through these headlines to learn more about the feminist movement, I see headlines like, “Male Politicians Warn Exposed Boobs May Cause Society To Collapse” in which the article explained the ideals of public nudity versus evolving societal behavior, specifically dealing with New Hampshire Laws. These campaigns help women to feel more comfortable in a public setting, especially when it comes to breast-feeding. Other organizations are also starting to take measures towards equalization, like ISNA, Islamic Society of North America, which has taken measures to make sure Muslim women are catered as equally as men in mosques throughout North America. As of now, we live in a society where we have apps that allow young children to ‘play’ with plastic surgery on women’s bodies. As we are all humans, we should not make others uncomfortable in their own skin to live, and it is a rising issue that needs to be addressed right away.
