Dear society,

I am more than just a number.

It is 2016 and I still feel like I am being judged constantly by numbers — which, in fact, do not define me.

I am more than just a statistic.

Women everyday are made to be a part of a statistic. “Oh, one in eight women will experience clinical depression.” “There is a 30 percent chance she will get pregnant as a teen.” “You may be sexually assaulted because one in six women will experience this horrific violation.”

Making women’s issues a statistic is a problem. If one in eight women are depressed, then I think that shows that you, society, need to reevaluate yourself. If one in six women are being sexually assaulted then you, society, need to address the real issue at large — men’s behavior. Do not make my issues a statistic, instead, fix them.

I am more than just my ‘body count.’

Whether a woman has had sex with zero men/women or 10 men/women, it does not define who she is as a person. You, society, need to stop degrading women for the very same action that men get applauded for. Doesn’t it seem a little strange that a guy will get high-fived for having slept with 10 women but if a woman has slept with even one person she is a slut? But wait … if a woman is still a virgin then she is a prude.

Society, your mindset is messed up. Women are more than the number of people they have slept with — honestly; body counts shouldn’t even be a thing to concern yourself with because it means nothing. So quit making it such a big deal.

I am more than just a number on a scale.

How much I weigh should not define me. If I weigh 100 pounds or 200 pounds, it should have nothing to do with how people view me. Society, you are placing too much pressure on women to look a certain way, and to weigh a certain amount, and I am over it. I am over people being skinny shamed or fat shamed because every body is different and beautiful in its own way. Why can’t you see that? We don’t all have to look like a Victoria’s Secret model to be considered beautiful and if someone does look like a model, then let them live their life.

Quit telling people that they need to fit a certain mold because it is unachievable. Maybe your set of standards is why 2.7 percent of teens 13-18 suffer or have suffered from an eating disorder. It is not because they are seeking attention, but because you have continuously told them that they need to be skinnier. Women are more than just the way they look. You really need to get that through your head.

I am more than just a number.

I am more than just another notch on a guy’s headboard. My body is my temple and when I say no then it means no. Just because a man wants it does not mean I have given consent. If I want to drink at a party, it does not mean I have given consent. I am sick of you telling the world that “She asked for it,” when something bad happens to a woman. Because no, she didn’t ask for it by wanting to have a fun night with her friends. She didn’t ask to feel shitty about her body 24/7. She didn’t ask to be judged by the amount of people she has slept with. She didn’t ask to feel ashamed if she wore something that made her happy but was not approved by you. She didn’t ask for any of this, it was you who pushed it upon her.

You pushed the unrealistic expectations upon her. You made her lose sight of herself.

You turned her into the person she is today — unhappy and constantly reevaluating who she is, when she is more than enough.

You caused her to starve herself to be a certain weight — so she can see the number on the scale that you say is acceptable.

You caused her to feel like a slut/prude based on her body count. Even though there will never be a right ‘number.’

You have made sexual assault and rape acceptable because you say that she wanted it, that she was asking for it.

You caused her to be scared to reach out for help for her depression because she didn’t want to be ‘just another statistic.'

You have created such high expectations for women to live up to and I am here to write that I am done living by your rules. I am done trying to please you because I will never be able to please you. I am more than a number- we are all more than a number.

So society, I kindly ask you to go f*ck yourself because us women are done playing by your rules.

Sincerely,

The entire female population

P.S.

Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by society’s standards, then be sure to share this post to end the stigma of women being just a number.