In 1636, America's very first higher education was established: Harvard University. It only accepted white males, and women veered more towards the domesticated lifestyle, education not being something they could seemingly handle. However, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, black women are now the most educated group in the U.S. That fact alone speaks volumes so loudly that if one were to attempt the action of ignoring such a thing, their eardrums would burst. Us women have come so far in such a male-dominated society, and yet we still have so much further to go.
We were raised with rules and guidelines on how to be a proper woman.
"Don't wear that dress, it's too short. Don't wear that dress, it makes you look like a prude."
"Wear makeup, you look like a slob. Don't wear so much makeup, who are you trying to impress?"
"Sit up straight, don't slouch. Shoulders back, chin out, but not too high — you don't want to look snooty."
"Make sure to wear a bra so you don't look like a boy, but don't wear a push-up or you are just asking for it."
We are raised on double standards. What is intolerable for us is acceptable for a man.
"You can't ask him out first, that makes you look too forward."
If a man sleeps around, his buddies give him a high-five and call him a legend as he racks up his numbers to place above his head like a trophy. If a girl sleeps around, she's deemed unworthy and a slut — the only trophy is a reputation of infamy, which she is then forced to openly bare for the world to mock. It's as if these rules implemented into society were only for the benefit of men to control "their women."
When a woman accomplishes something, it becomes the "first" time a woman has done something a man already has. It is as if no one expected someone with anything other than a penis to accomplish something incredible, deserving recognition for all those to follow. It is as if it is a miracle that we could possibly do something just as well, if not better than a man. It is as if the only way we could seemingly succeed in something is after a man has already laid it out for us beforehand, showing us the ropes. The only people who aren't utterly shocked by some wondering accomplishment conquered by a woman, is a woman.
We are marvelous creatures. We do not need to come in second place, we do not need a man to make us feel significant or worthy or appreciated. We do not need to be patronized for what we wear, how we act, how we move, the way in which we are. We do not need guidelines on how to be a proper woman. There is no such thing as a proper man, so who is it to say that we are in need of such criteria? The argument of equality has been slammed into the dirt, kicked on and buried beneath the surface. This conversation should no longer be such a dire need. It is now 2016. Women hold the highest-ranked group of educated people. If this doesn't say we don't need a man to find our own path, then look towards the future, for we are surely on the way to changing the game.
