Women Are Human

Jesus I'm in a mood, today.

I can't seem to shake this feeling of irritability, and I don't know exactly what triggered it.

I saw a post on Tumblr, this morning that caused me great rage. I saw a post on Facebook that made me sick to my stomach. Maybe today just isn't the day for social media. Maybe today is one of those days I should have just stayed in bed.

I need to write, though, or I may just snap.

First off, if you disagree with anything I say in this post, you can kindly fuck off. Yes. For this post, I am taking a stand. Either you agree with me, or you're wrong. Period.

Rape victims.

Are.

Never.

To.

Blame.

There is no reason or situation where the phrase, "Well, if you were more careful, this wouldn't have happened." is acceptable. NO!

"If you would wear more modest clothing, you wouldn't have gotten raped."

"Maybe you should put more clothes on!"

"Stop wearing tight pants!"

"Damn, baby, you look so good, I could rape you."

The fury I am feeling is all-consuming.

How dare you make the victim of a violent attack feel guilty?

How dare you make a woman feel guilty for wearing what she feels comfortable in?

How dare you use that word as a synonym for sex?

How dare you?

The Rape Culture is sickening. It's purely disgusting. Those of you who condone this type of behavior are no better than the predators themselves. Those of you who tell women to carry mace to protect themselves, because, well, "men are just men" are fucking sick.

It isn't just full-grown women who are taught that they are always responsible for their safety, and if they get hurt, then they are to blame...at least a little bit.

Little girls are being told that their pants, or their dresses, or their shirts are "inappropriate" because they distract boys, or because there are predators out there who will take advantage of the way they're dressed.

We're standing aside and allowing people to fill our daughters and nieces with fear, over their clothing choices. We're making them self-conscious from a very young age, and it saddens me. These little girls become more fashion-oriented, than science or math oriented, all because of some off-hand comment that adults made.

"Is this dress good enough?"

"Are these pants too tight?"

..."Will I be hurt if I wear this?"

Those are the questions our daughters are asking in the mornings, instead of:

"Do I have my homework done?"

"Is there going to be a test today?"

"Should I study on the bus, just in case?"

Why are we allowing this to go on?

We need to stop making little girls, and women, feel like the only important thing about them is how they look. This includes the "slut shaming" and putting down women for being too fat, or too skinny, or too tall, or too short, or too blonde, or not blonde enough. Focus on what's important. Focus on the kind of people they will be when they grow up.

Do you want your daughter to keep her opinions to herself, in front of men, because she's afraid of being rejected?

Do you want your niece to feel guilty because a predator attacked her?

Do you want your mother to be more concerned with her new tube of lipstick than her heart medicine? (My mother...)

No. Of course you don't. You want them to be treated with respect, not because they're women, but because they earned that respect by never backing down, by standing up for their beliefs, and by being human.

It's really that simple.

Women are just as human as men.

We all deserve the same treatment.