Women Are More Than Their Bodies
Originally published June 29, 2020
It’s been 172 years since women have been begging the world to see them as humans. It's unfortunate that even today, we still have to talk about seeing a woman as a human who deserves rights, equal pay, and much more. There are many problems still occurring, from entertainment oversexualizing women to different traditions in a variety of cultures making women stay at home and tend to the kids and housework while men go out and work. Yet we are progressing as women, rallying together to make sure that ALL women get the same treatment and fairness that they deserve. Yet a trickle of sexualization still makes it way in.
Femicides & Domestic Violence
Femicides are sex-based hate crime, meaning the intentional killing of women or girls because of their gender. Femicides have taken place in parts of Africa, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, El Salvador, and many more. According to CS Monitor, last year in Kenya, more than 100 women (as early as four years old) were murdered by the end of December. In Juarez, Mexico, which has the highest femicide rates there were almost 64 deaths, which included femicides, just in January of this year.
Not only do women have to worry about being murdered for being a woman, we also have to worry about being abused by our spouses. Domestic violence is a hard topic to talk about, but we need to spread awareness. I have had two friends experience DV within a relationship and luckily, they were able to get away. Not everyone is as lucky. Some men have this idea that they own women they are in a relationship with. According to Project Sanctuary, nearly 20 people are experiencing physical violence per minute; that’s 400 women within 20 minutes who may have experienced physical violence as I write this. And it starts at a young age; most women who are in a domestic violence relationship are between the ages of 18-24.
Entertainment Industry
The entertainment industry has a history of showcasing women as “damsels in distress”— the oversexualized schoolgirl act, half-naked women in music videos, etc. Being an independent singer, I have been researching ways to make sure that I put out positive messages to girls. Lately, the entertainment industry has had a lot of propaganda out there that makes young girls question themselves. America loves sex, and that’s not a bad thing if it would be talked about in the right context. We’ve all heard that “sex sells” because it does. The amount of porn that our younger generation can easily get their hands on is insane. These are false images of what sex is supposed to be, and it puts images in young men’s minds that they need to be the dominate person. That is completely false. No means no, regardless. From our movies, TV shows, books, music, and more, women are looked at as objects. When a man is telling a female music artist she has to sleep with him in order to make it, it’s just “business”. But when a music artist makes a song about owning your body and glory, then she is a “bad example”. It doesn’t make sense at all. And this is because most of the entertainment industry is still mostly made of men, and that needs to change. In the music industry in 2018, only 22.4% of artists were women, 12.3% were female songwriters, and 2% were female producers. We need to change these numbers within this industry quickly so we can have the say so about what we allow regarding our bodies.
Women Changing Spaces
To bring light to how women want to be viewed, there are industries where women are becoming more and more prominent, such as healthcare and social sector, education, non-profit, human resource, customer service, civil engineering, computer programmers, mechanical engineers, and software developers. Women are showing little girls, teenagers, and young adults that they can be anything they want and showing them that their body doesn’t define them. Your intelligence, drive, and passion for your dreams is what makes you the woman you are, not your body parts. Women need to be a part of this world and the industries in it to help all societies move forward. Without women, a lot of industries would crumble. So, next time someone makes you feel little because you are a woman, remember that the world’s most famous tennis player is Serena Williams, Ada Lovelace invented computer algorithms, the submarine lamp and telescope was invented by Sarah Mather, life rafts were invented by Maria Beasley, and Anna Connelly invented fire escapes. We are intelligent, fierce, and fearless individuals, and don’t you forget it!
References:
Carr, C. (2018, February 12). Women vastly underrepresented in music, says new report. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://substreammagazine.com/2018/02/women-in-music-report/
Green, J. (2019, March 16). Who invented the dishwasher, windshield wiper, caller ID? Women created these 50 inventions. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/03/16/inventions-you-have-women-inventors-thank-these-50-things/39158677/
Ortiz, M. (2020, January 26). Activists Decry Femicides After Another Woman Is Killed In ... Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://knpr.org/npr/2020-01/activists-decry-femicides-after-another-woman-killed-ju-rez-mexico
Some Statistics about Domestic Violence- . Project Sanctuary . 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2020, from https://www.projectsanctuary.org/dv/some-statistics-about-domestic-violence/
Success, I., & Thakkar, N. (2019, January 22). Five Industries Dominated By Women: Business Magazine. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www.insightssuccess.com/5-five-industries-dominated-by-women/
Women in Male-Dominated Industries and Occupations: Quick Take. (2020, February 5). Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-male-dominated-industries-and-occupations/
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Hello, my name is Alexis Williamson (soon-to-be Audrey). I am a young, aspiring screenwriter from the south side of Chicago, IL. I've wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl and decided a year ago to major in screenwriting so I can write movies! I have other interests in music, fashion, and painting. I love meeting people from all walks of life, cooking, and having intellectual conversations. I am a tea lover and a cat mom!