When I think of this word, two things come to mind—the female genitalia and the word “weak.” Pretty ironic, right? This particular slang is used to describe when a person is weak or a coward, the same way society views women as something that is looked down upon.
And no, it isn’t just a word.
It is a man’s world that we’re living in, we all know that. Patriarchy has built a system that offers a warm blanket and cozy place for men while giving unusual stares and a dark shed for the latter. Is the thought of women being of lesser importance so deeply engraved in every corner of society that it can’t be moved by our pleas for better treatment?
In politics, film and entertainment, and workplaces, as well as in my everyday life, I’ve seen how society views us, women, as beings who are incapable of doing greater things and achieving more than what we are expected to.
The other night, as I was browsing through my news feed, I came across this one post of what was supposed to be an “empowerment” activity in celebration of Women’s Month. They were police officers participating in an activity called “stiletto run.” Rather than empowering women, isn’t this type of act more like downplaying our struggles in society?
The struggles and inequalities that we have to face solely because we’re women are more than just wearing a pair of heels—instead of empowerment, it feels more like a mockery because what does it exactly do for women? What does it serve to fight the discrimination against us? At the end of the day, we’re still in the lower part of the hierarchy.
Wearing heels doesn’t come close to being in the shoes of a woman.
There’s more to it, like instances where you’d have to avoid certain parts of the streets just because you don’t feel safe walking past a certain group of men, always minding how you sit in public spaces, and getting weird looks from strangers—all of which have become common experiences for women in our current society. It was hard to swallow that we’re supposed to live life with caution and worry just because we carry our own gender.
Seeing people striving for equality of all genders made me realize how patriarchy took something so important from us, women, that up until now is still in their hands—our rights and voices as a person and as a man’s equivalent. This movement shows how eager we are to be freed from the cruel and unjust shackles that society has placed on us from the very moment of our birth.
Not to invalidate the other, but it made me think—will life be a little less cruel if we were seen as equals rather than just women?
person ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rica Borromeo
Associate Editor
Hello! I'm Rica. It's cliché to say that I like to write, but it has been one of my hobbies since then. I am trying to expand my knowledge in writing both creative and non-creative pieces whenever I have free time—I recently discovered a spark in copyreading, though.
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