I need feminism.

I need feminism because when I was in school my teachers cared more about what I wore than what I learned. If my shoulders were showing, I was sent to In-School Suspension or given an XXL shirt to wear over what I had on. Growing up we were taught that if a boy is being mean to you, it means he likes you. Do you ever wonder why you hear so many stories about women staying with their abusive boyfriends? I mean, he is only hitting her because he likes her, right? I need feminism because 1 in 3 women are raped and society is still asking what you were wearing when it happened. Somehow my clothes have a louder voice than mine. I should be able to wear what I want without worrying what people might do to me.

I need feminism because women's boobs are used to sell anything from hamburgers to cars, but if you're breastfeeding out in the public, you are suddenly disturbing everyone because your child has needs. I need feminism because everything I do is sexualized in some way. Can anyone even eat a banana anymore without getting weird looks? I need feminism because it's easier and safer to tell a guy that you have a boyfriend instead of just saying you are not interested. Men are more likely to leave a woman alone and also be significantly less aggressive if she says she is with someone else because some men respect other men more.

I need feminism because we live in a country where there is a need for a nail polish changes colors when you swirl it in your drink so that you will know if someone has slipped a drug in it. I need feminism because to a woman, a key is something we hold in our hand when we are walking to our car at night and to men, a key is just a device used to open doors. I need feminism because even if all college students are broke, men are still expected to pay for our dates. I need feminism because Brock Turner, who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, was only sentenced to 6 months in jail and was released 3 months early for good behavior.

We need feminism because of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which involves all procedures that include partial or total removal of female genitalia for nonmedical reasons, is still a thing in over 30 different countries. We need feminism because there are only 21 women in the Senate compared to the 79 men. We need feminism because when my mom was in school, the boys would pull her pants down in front of everyone and when she would tell the principal all he said was "boys will be boys." Because somehow that is a valid excuse. We need feminism because someone needs to raise our future children right. Someone needs to teach our future leaders that you should respect all people.

We need feminism.