Iran. Afghanistan. South Sudan. The Democratic Republic of Congo. Even America. The list of dangerous places to be a woman goes on. The year is 2025. Aren’t we supposed to be moving forward in our actions, not backward? It’s true that women in America have many more rights than we did decades ago, but why do we still feel uncomfortable when walking down the streets? Why do we feel uncomfortable in our own clothes?
It’s because the expectations, stereotypes, criticisms, and notions that we are subservient to men are very present in our societies, including here at ETHS. Freshman Anouk Roth expressed her views and experiences.
“People definitely talk differently to me just because I’m a girl. They’ll say stuff focused on my appearance and say things like ‘little lady. ’ They might not even be trying to be like that, and it might be because they are from a different generation and that’s just how they were raised.”
Ms. O’Connell, a Japanese teacher here at ETHS, recounts her experiences of catcalling. “I’ve been catcalled so many times. Mostly comments about my body from men.” This uncomfortable experience led her to remember a time when she was 12, the first time she was catcalled while walking from the bus. O’Connell claims, “As I started to develop and grow, the catcalling began.” She comments that men may think that they’re complimenting women by their catcalls when in reality it’s the opposite. “I would love for men to intervene when this happens. I don’t think women interfering would make them stop.”
Sara Steinberg, a freshman at ETHS, tells her story of womanhood in America. “I’ve been told I’m too loud. My parents tell me I can’t wear certain things because it’s too revealing. I think they say that to protect me, although we can’t control what men do, so I guess this is a small way to help prevent danger.” Girls shouldn’t have to watch what they wear because of attention from unwanted eyes. This goes hand in hand with the saying “Protect your Daughters” when we have been realizing it’s less about that and more about educating your sons. Steinberg tells the story of a time she got catcalled – “I was just walking to the store when some construction men across the street started whistling. Maybe someone saying something could’ve been helpful because it made me feel very uncomfortable.” Despite this, Steinberg believes that we are slowly moving forward in women’s rights, although, as Roth added, “Whenever this happens, there are always people that push back.”
Many girls in our own communities have experienced the discomfort of catcalls and the prejudice of sexism, not just in big cities like Chicago and New York. Uncomfortable experiences because of one’s gender are not just experienced in the streets of our neighborhoods, but also in the hallways of our very own schools. Eliana Napolez-Savig, a freshman at ETHS, recounts one of these moments in middle school. “I was trying to walk upstairs to my Spanish class. At the base of the stairs, this boy stretches his arms out, and every time I tried to move past him, he kept blocking me. He was less than an inch away from my face, and made me feel invaded. He only let me go after I said ‘excuse me’ because I was super freaked out and scared, so I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable.” Napolez-Savig claims that this experience made her feel even more unsafe in the presence of men. “I didn’t do anything wrong, I wasn’t dressed like a sl*t, I wasn’t giving him hints and he just did it anyway. I didn’t want to be flirted with. I wasn’t asking for it.” This isn’t about the protection of girls but the way society tells men and boys that it’s okay to act this way. Educating children on respect and boundaries will lead to equality and safety in our communities.
Females face many forms of oppression every day, and most of these lead back to sexism. Women and girls deserve to feel safe in their communities and shouldn’t have to worry about what they wear in fear of unwarranted attention. The world as a collective can make girls and women feel safer by regarding us as human and viewing us as equals instead of as subordinates to men. During this Women’s History Month, respect the women in your life as equals and companions, not stereotypical weak, domestic birthgivers. Instead of just accepting us into society, hear our voices. Listen to our stories. This month symbolizes how far women and girls have come in achieving our rights and how much harder we must continue to fight for those with less power.
