As I walk into class, I take a seat and start looking through my bag for my notebook like I always do. I sit and scroll through my Instagram feed and answer a few text messages until my professor walks in. This is all routine for me. I do it every day. Something else that's routine for me is hearing the guys sitting next to me objectify women and talk about their weekend party "hookups." You probably weren't expecting me to say that, but it's true. It's something that has been bothering me for a long time now and I feel cowardly for not speaking out against it, so here is what I've always wanted to say to them when they say things like...
"Dude, her body is a ten, but her face is a 0."
Really? Is this what you think? You think women should be rated on a numerical scale? Guys, this isn't Yelp.com. She's not a service or company to be rated. Sorry, customer satisfaction is not guaranteed.
The way you are speaking about her right now is an accurate reflection of who you are as a person. Respect is a beautiful thing. Please have some of it. Women are not to be devalued by your young, "college-boy" derogatory terms. Women are business leaders, teachers, writers, scientists, and engineers, and they all surpass your 0/10 rating by far! Our intellect is sacred. Our appearance is sacred. Our bodies are sacred. Try fitting all that into your ludicrous number rating method.
After five weeks of classes, I realized that their behavior was intolerable and that the objectification of women is a serious issue in society. I never fully understood the scope of this mentality that some men have about women. When I sit in class on my phone, a fire burns in me, hearing them say all these degrading words. But it doesn't end there.
I got on the train another day and heard a group of 30-year-old men on their way home from work talking about a woman being a "10/10." Was I hearing right? Is this seriously happening again? I was in shock. This cannot be happening. This is not what society is coming to. I will not let people be plagued by this epidemic of devaluing women. We are worth more than this.
Women do not wear tattoos on across their foreheads saying, "Degrade Me." We are not to be objectified. We are not to be harassed or bullied because of our appearance. I'm genuinely tired of catcalling. I'm tired of this "hookup culture" that college students seem to validate. As a society, we need to address these issues. The first step is making sure you respect those around you.
