Why do we always put the blame on women
Why do most people immediately put all the blame on women even when they are the victims? Why is it always the women’s fault?
If a woman gets harassed, abused or violated, people would always think that it is because of her doing. It was the woman’s fault that she did not dress properly. It was the woman’s fault for getting drunk. It was the woman’s fault for not protecting herself. People always blame women for the harassments they received because “they were asking for it”. These people shame women while forgetting that it is the men’s fault for taking advantage of them.
It is the women’s month and we celebrate all these amazing and incredible women in our lives. But, all these women we look up to have experienced the struggles of living in a society where misogyny is engraved. These amazing women around us have faced and is still facing sexism, discrimination and harassment.
***Above celebration of women, we must give light to the long-time struggles and hardships of women in our society.***
We will not deny the fact that many people in our society have become aware of these struggles. Many of us already woke up and rejected many notions of the society that disadvantage our women. We have come a long way to realize the mistreatment our society have given to our women. It has been a long fight and the fight is not over.
Women have taken up space in our society. Their rights have been recognized after so many protests. Many women have taken the courage to speak up against the ingrained misogyny in everyone’s mind. But, the fight is still continuing. There are still so many people that treat women like fragile beings they can control. Many still think women are inferior to men.
When a woman is underdressed, people deem it as a consent harassment. There are still people in social media spaces that blames women for their way of clothing when there are reports of sexual harassments. There are still so many content that objectifies women and sexualizing them as if they are objects. There is still the old way of thinking that women only belong at home.
***We have come a long way but the fight is far from over.***
Therefore, this Women’s Month and all months to come, we must empower women not only through celebrations and encouragement but also through the continuous fight for their rights. Men and women alike must stand for the proper treatment of women.
Women are the ones who gave birth to this society. It is only right that the society should care and provide the best for our women. We can only do that through collective effort.
The misogyny and sexism are deeply rooted in everyone. We cannot reject that our society is patriarchal. Men take the lead and women should only follow. But, we must fight for what is right. We must give what women deserve, and women deserve rights and privileges that have been denied of them.
***To correct the wrongs of society, we must educate everyone***.
Our system of education should give space into tackling these social issues. We must educate our sons and daughters of respect and justice. We must create a generation of people who will make the society better for our women.
Why must we blame women when they are abused? Why must we control what they do to their bodies. The right of choice we gave to men should also be given to women. The standards that we keep on pushing to women should also be pushed to men. It should be fair, right? We are all humans and we must all be treated as human.
The society has changed and it should still change for the better.
The change starts within you. Educate yourself. Be aware of the notions and mentality that are actually misogynistic. Call out people who have sexist thinking. The change starts in our minds, in small conversations, in spaces in social media and in every little thing.
***We should start making the world better for our daughters to come.***
`Lead image from Canva`
Do Grades Really Matter
Nowadays, I see so many people saying grades do not really matter and they do not define you. I have always mixed feelings about those sentiments. After all, I am a student who tries her best to have good grades.
***Grades matter.***
I do not think that grades do not really matter at all. They have importance. We need good grades to have a chance at different opportunities and experiences. If I was not a student who gave importance to my grades, I would not have met my long-time friends who were my classmates in my special class. If I was not a good student, I would not have joined competitions in journalism, science quizzes and math contests. I would not have enjoyed so much in high school.
We should not think that grades do not have that significance. Some people think that you can be successful without having good grades because there are others who have become successful even when they did not have good grades in school. But, luck does not happen to everyone. There are opportunities that you can only grab when you are worthy of it.
I tried my best to get good grades so I can have scholarship in my college. I hope people would realize that they should strive to have good rankings even if they are not smart people. Having good grades does not always mean being smart. It means being able to work hard. Being a good student trains us to become hardworking people. And hardworking people are those that succeed the most.
I think we should study hard. We should not neglect our school performance because it says a lot about our attitude and values. It tells how much we make use of our time and how much we value our parents' efforts.
***But, grades do not matter the most.***
But, this is not to say that grades are all that matters. They’re not. They are important but not the most priority. What matters the most is ourselves. I got stuck on being a good student that I have forgot to care for myself. Focusing on my studies should not have meant neglecting myself but I was too young to know the importance of self-care.
I had a simple high school but a simple high school life does not mean an easy one. Along the way, there were challenges and obstacles. At first, I was full of hope and enthusiasm in studying, just a hardworking student aiming for the top. I was excited to learn and discover new things.
However, life in high school is not a playground. Because of that, I lost the little confidence I had in me and started thinking negatively of myself. I was in a slump. It felt like I even hated studying and thought of it as a burden rather than help. My motivation slowly faded and school did not matter anymore.
It was all thanks to my friends and parents who still treated me with the same affection as before that I got back on my feet. They did not pressure me or criticize me. It was a relief. I realized no matter how many disappointments and failures I made, I am still myself. It will not change the fact that I am actually capable and worthy as a person. I could always try for another.
I tried again. Yet, the life of a student is really not a carefree life. Stress piled up too much and I often had breakdowns. I sometimes cry not being able to handle the pressure and stress due to too much work as well as expectations.
Yet, I did not rely on anyone on my problem. It was something I needed to solve on my own. Luckily, I did. I learned to be self- sufficient. I learned how to carry on without depending a lot to others. That was because I learned to care for myself.
I tried my best not to sleep so late at night to finish my activities. I tried to have a life outside the school. I explored different hobbies.
***Take care of your mental health.***
I want to remind my fellow students here that mental health matters the most. It may be hard to give ourselves time while studying but we should try. Grades are important but ourselves matters the most.
Grades matter. But, grades do not define you. That is why you should not let yourself be defeated when you fail. Caring for yourself means giving yourself the chances you deserve – the chance to get back up again.
`Lead image from Canva`
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