The government has a long history of controlling women. When I say government, I mean male dominants. Some male species believe that they are superior compared to the female species. That females belong in the kitchen where they cook and clean. Society always tries to undermine women for the work that we do. The average pay for a man is a dollar while a woman gets paid 88¢. Women get treated unfairly because of old traditions. Some men think that having a woman as a wife means that the wife’s duty is to cook, clean, and not have an opinion. Women get categorized as certain words when they do things but when men do it they are considered a G.O.A.T.
Men think they can control women. Over the last few months, women have been fighting for their right for healthcare. To be more specific, the Roe v.s Wade case. The Roe vs Wade case is a case that has been fighting to keep abortions legal. A 10 year old was sexually assaulted last week and gotpregnant. Now she is forced to have a baby that she didn’t ask for. Women have been fighting to have rights and freedom. Women just got the right to vote on August 18, 1920 and slowly but surely, we’re losing that right to have an opinion. Why should men have an option on “OUR” bodies? Who are they to decide? Women all over the world have been influenced by the choice of men stuck in the past. Some females believe that their bodies belong to a man or should belong to a man. Over the years, women who have been taught this have passed this down as a “tradition”. When in reality, they were abiding by society. Society has played a big role in how the world works. Depending on the race of a woman they deal with even harsher treatments especially black, Indian, Asian and Latinx women. Women were thought not to have an opinion. All over the world, women have done all types of beauty standards to live up to a man’s expectations. Even if it makes them uncomfortable. In Africa starting at the age of 5 to the age of 15, these girls have gone through genital mutilation. This “procedure” is when women and young girls go under the unsanitary knife and when they remove partial or the entire female genitalia. This practice has no health benefits for girls and women. These “procedures” are unsafe because they are not done professionally. This “procedure” is done to show how “pure” a female is. Women all over the world believe they have to be a certain size to be considered beautiful because society portrays it as this is what pretty people look like. Women come in different shapes and sizes so why should we criticize how they look.
What I can do to change society is be confident in my own skin and body. I can look in the mirror and be proud of what I see. As Justin Bieber once said ”I’m starting with the (wo)men in the mirror.” I have to be willing to help myself before I try to help others. When I am working on myself ,I can try to share it with others to see if it can help them. I already support tampa bay donations to keep abortions legal. I can post some of my thoughts and maybe it can spread to other and encourage them to stand up and speak their feelings.
Janiya Mitchell
GCE Lab School – DMSF Class of 2026
Photo by Michelle Ding on Unsplash