Double standards still dominate - Perpendicular Universe

Here we stand, ankle deep in the 21st century, a modern era of innovative technological advances and prosperity for the majority. You'd think that we have come a long way from the female suffrage and oppression of the 1920s. So why are women still considered a minority, even beyond the campus of Hopkins? This is not some feminist plea or an attack on men ? this is a statement about the difficulty of being female in a world with disguised stereotypes.

With all the propaganda on the television against the Taliban and their treatment of women in Afghanistan, it has made it easy for the American public to scorn them and cry out that our system is infinitely better. I am not contesting this ? I am very lucky to be a female going to college and getting an education with tons of opportunity in my life. However, to say that we have an ideal system would be quite inaccurate. Although American women do have it better than many oppressed women, there are still many difficulties in being female.

Even though there have been many movements towards equality in the workplace, it is no secret that women still have to deal with many obstacles. Sexual harassment and molestation are only a part of the problem. Today, in this world, it is difficult to be successful and female. If a woman is successful, she is considered a bitch. And if a woman is not successful, she is considered a whore. The age-old stereotypes of a woman staying at home with the kids, cooking and cleaning, still exist. Many men still expect to marry a woman and keep her around for sexual pleasure and convenience. Despite the representations in the media and otherwise of strong, successful women, all women are still expected to be effeminate and soft. I was discussing with my friends the other night why it is that, traditionally, baby girls are dressed in pink and boys in blue. And we decided it was because pink is supposed to look soft, gentle and feminine ? what girls are supposed to be. Well, what if girls don't want to be soft and gentle? What then? They are considered not feminine enough, and considered inferior because of this lack of gentility. Well a woman should not be defined through her femininity, in any world.

The problem isn't only that we live in a world where people, not just women, are judged based on their appearance. Women are judged on everything. It has never been fair that if a guy sleeps around, he is considered a stud and if a girl does so, she is a slut. In a world where men and women are supposed to be on equal footing, it is not fair that women can be destroyed by reputation by the exact same thing as a man. Strong women are intimidating to men, undesirable. They can't seem to fathom that a girl would want to do anything besides raise children. And although I can respect and admire the women who choose to do this, I cannot help but feel like it could be an awful waste of potential.

I was told recently by a friend that he thinks what defines women is their ability to give birth. I was absolutely appalled by this, as if I am a woman because I can have babies someday. If you must base it down to biology, other than physical elements, it is testosterone and estrogen that separate men and women. But it's more than this ? what makes a woman? Contrary to popular belief, it's not breasts and a lack of a penis ? it's a different way of seeing the world, a different way of perceiving and calculating. And up until recently really, the world has been dominated by testosterone. Only recently has the woman's view come into play. What if Madeline Albright or Carly Fiorina (the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company) had decided to produce a litter and cater after their needs?

In a world where women cannot be too strong spoken about their beliefs on women's rights for fear of being classified as a "man-hating fem-Nazi," it is more difficult than it seems to be a strong, independent woman and appealing at the same time. It seems that most successful women who claim independence are sexy, as if their appearance can make up for the fact that they run their own lives and make them less-threatening because men can still envision them in the sack. It seems that to live in a fair world requires separating a woman from her sexuality enough to appreciate her without taking into account how she looks naked. Until then, we remain in a world where women are judged by double standards that perpetually have to be risen above.