2017 has already been a year of re-evaluation. The year begins with Donald Trump, a misogynistic, racist, xenophobic business man becoming president of the United States As it stands, Trump is 2016s most searched person on the internet. With all the world at discussion, it was a dangerously liberal time for him to speak about his views on women. All across the media there have been hot topics and allegations of Trump posing hate against women . In 2013 he tweeted, ”26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?”. Despite this being 4 years ago, Trump reveals an example of a mentality which stands on stereotype and objectification. The idea that a woman simply cannot work with a male counterpart because of her body, objectifies them. It makes the female body seem redundant, and with it the needlessness of female roles . He also reassures the idea that women lack ability to be working in the military force as they’re just assets for the opposite gender.
Considering the dynamic and vibrant society we surround, this widens the inequality between genders. It represents women for nothing more than their anatomy, almost dehumanising what they stand for and reinforcing the Renaissance idea that women are nothing but ‘leaky vessels’, that they exhibit an excess of liquid through emotions and their menstrual cycle.
However, the phenomenal response of women and men against Trumps views have proved that we aren’t digressing, that women will not take 'no' for an answer and that they acknowledge their value and importance in society . The protests on 21st January 2017 across the globe represented solidarity and union, that women deserve rights, we deserve to make our own decisions about our bodies and that women of all ethnicities, race and sexuality deserve to be appreciated. ( Ashley Judd’s speech reciting the poem ‘I Am a Nasty Woman’ is particularly empowering).
Feminism is a term people tend to overlook and quietly role their eyes over. Rather than the misconception of placing women over men, it simply means the equality of Unfortunately this is still not represented in society and people are still offended when asked if they are a feminist due to the stigma surrounding the word.
Some of the most pivotal people that have influenced and changed our lives are women; Marie Curie an obvious choice for discussion, a scientist who discovered radioactivity, shaping the treatments of our health service around the world, Halet Cambel a Turkish Archaeologist and Olympic fencer. She was also the first ever Muslim woman to compete in the Olympics, Rosa Parks, the brave activist who refused her seat for a white passenger, dismantling segregation and believing in basic human rights, and Malala Yousafzai an advocate for girls education, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and ambassador of our generation. Despite her hardships, she is a clear example that anything is possible and strives for change day by day.
The list carries on. We pass every day hopefully striving for something more harmonious in our society, a diversity of people that are all worthy regardless of gender.
“-We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” Malala Yousafazi
Betul.
Comments