After a long Tuesday of lectures and notes, I was finally minutes away from the comfort of my bed and a much-needed hug from my mom. Then I hear that dreaded beep; I’m low on gas. That pushed back my hug and hour of laying on the carpet playing with my dog by 20 minutes.
For a male, stopping to get gas at night falls isn’t anything to be concerned about and never has been. Instead of filling my tank all the way like I should have, I only put $10 worth into my tank in and effort to get out of the gas station quicker. Why did I do this? Did something happen while I was there? Did I suddenly have to rush to the bathroom? No. Some of you reading this will understand why I only filled half of my tank instead of the whole thing. Some of you won’t understand, but that’s my purpose behind writing this article.
I left the gas station as quickly as I could because I felt I was being looked at and to some extent, I felt in danger. Feeling vulnerable in many situations is the reality of many women my age and many women in general. I traveled to Europe this summer and spent one week in Spain with my two friends, both of which are women. One night we were walking back to our Airbnb after having dinner and a couple drinks. Not only were we in a country we weren’t familiar with, but we were also alone. Walking the streets of Valencia that same day just hours earlier didn’t strike any feelings of fear within us, but during those 15 minutes walking back to our safe haven, I can say with certainty we were on edge. Once we were back in the apartment I couldn’t help but going on a rant about how women are affected by situations like these. Men don’t have to worry about what time they should leave the club. Men don’t have to worry about what the best route to take back home is. Men don’t have to worry about walking down an empty street at 11 p.m. like women do.
I have a problem with this. I have a problem with this because it prevents me from living my life and enjoying things to the fullest. I think this has become a culture within our society that has been perpetuated instead of ceased. How far is it going to go? Where do we draw the line? More importantly, who is going to draw the line? I want to be the one to stand up to this, but I don’t know where to start. I want our generation to stand up to this injustice and change the way women live their lives. Objectifying women has become a norm.
I hope people can come together and figure out the best way to deconstruct what has been building up for decades and finally find a solution. I don’t want to live in a society where I don’t feel safe. I don’t want to raise my children in a society where parents have to teach their daughters to be extra careful when they go out instead of teaching people it isn’t okay to objectify women.
I choose to focus on women and their struggle dealing with objectification and the effects of objectification, but I don’t want to belittle others who have also been victims of objectification. This issue is one of society. Gender is an important aspect of the issue, but in the end it’s everyone’s responsibility to assume women are the most affected by this and as a result we must stand up against it.
