Sexism
WOMEN, AN OPPRESSED GROUP
I applaud Steve Diamant's April 18th letter, "Silent messages are dangerous for nation." I stand behind his opinion
of homosexuals, minorities, and the underpriveleged facing oppression in the name of religion.
I should add another oppressed group to your list, however; women. Now, they may not be considered property any
longer, and women have come a long way. The sad fact is, we still have a long way to go.
Women still face oppression in today's society. Women are told that they "have failed at womanhood" or are "selfish"
if they decide not to have children. Women musicians cannot make it in the industry unless they're thin and
attractive. Women also have limited access to birth control because some doctors and pharmacists believe it
conflicts with their own religious beliefs. Our female celebrity role models are of the "I'm stupid, isn't it
ute?" magnitude. For crying out loud, rape victims are oftentimes not taken seriously and blamed for the crime
because the poor man just couldn't control himself. And that is just in the US. I won't even go into how they are
treated in other countries.
My opinion will surely not be a popular one. In fact, I expect a few letters in retort. I just want the author of
the letter in which I'm responding, to know that he is not alone. I also want everyone to know that I will not be
silent either. The bottom line is: women are people too.
You've seen it on t-shirts and bumper stickers, and it's true: "Well-behaved women rarely make history."
Elizabeth Yada, Class of 2008
MEDIA and WOMEN
When you turn on the television, what do you see? When you turn on the radio to listen to the most popular rap song, what do you hear? When you open up a magazine to check the latest fashion, what do you see? Do you see women trying to empower themselves, or simply a Victoria's Secret Angel posing in her underwear? The way women are viewed in society today is outrageous. It's everywhere. From a magazine cover with women in what some people might call underwear; to a rap song where every single word is degrading.
Women in the world today are simply viewed as sex symbols, which has caused your average teenager dying to look or even strive to become that person since they believe it will make them more appealing and help them become more successful.
The average teenager thinks it is OK to degrade women. Women are seen as objects and nothing more. With the increase in people wanting to look like her or to be like her, many teens have become anorexic or bulimic. The life of a teenager is crucial; everything is based on appearances and your "image." So when everything that surrounds you belittles women, what are you supposed to do? How does society get rappers or songwriters to produce positive songs? We need more positive role models and not just for teens but for everybody. So many girls have very low self-esteem, so we need to teach young women that it is OK to not only have outer beauty but most important is your true inner beauty.
The media has a great impact on how we as people view ourselves. It’s such a powerful instrument to just be used as a way to sell the next best thing or to get you to buy this. We need more positive role models to get every teen thinking she is influential The way I plan to solve this is by encouraging every single person who reads this to challenge themselves to make a difference. Even if its only one person, its a life-altering thing for that one person.
Lisa Alvarado, Class of 2007 & 2008