What is a woman?
A woman is not only a person. A woman has a voice, and for many years it has not been heard. This day is a day to commemorate the women that have lost their voices for the simple reason of being a woman. Being a woman in the society we live in is frightening. We can’t wear a piece of clothing because we are provocative. If we are a virgin, we are a prude, but if we have sex, we are a slut and a whore. If we get mad, we are crazy. If we cry, we are too sensitive and emotional. If we wear too much makeup, we are fake and not natural. If we do not wear makeup, we look sick. We have rules that we have to follow; if not, we don’t fit into the type that may attract a guy. Because, as some people say: Every woman needs a man to live a happy life. That is BS! Are we going to start changing that stereotype, that mindset, and that bias? We are in the 21st century, and I still see barriers.
Let us start changing that because we live in fear. Fear of being called out because of having an opinion. Fear of dressing in a certain way. Fear of speaking up. Fear of always being compared. Fear of not fitting in. Fear of walking in the street at night. Fear of being alone. Fear of being raped and violated. Fear of the simplicity of being a woman. We are diminished and victimized for actions we didn’t even commit but for stereotypes already placed among us.
Being a woman means to be you, to be who you want to be. To not have to limit your talents for others and to express your thoughts as you wish. To not have to dress a certain way because we want to be provocative but because we want to. And to speak up and be heard and not lessened.
This day, we speak up. We speak up for all the women that have gone through the terrors that society has left us. I speak up to create consciousness. Because I am a victim and a survivor, I remove that fear and keep my head held high. I am a woman, and I am not going to allow this. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
Every woman should have a voice and speak up about what they went through. No more silence! No more fear!
Z.
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