“Little Miss Feminism” Or, How My Bra Straps Became My Superpower
This is piece that I really enjoyed writing that I want other people to enjoy reading. I think it has a very important message. Whether you agree or disagree with me (and feel free to do either, or a combination of the two) I think the world would be a richer place if people read and discussed ideas contained in the piece below. Or maybe I'm just egotistical. You decide.
“Little Miss Feminism” Or, How My Bra Straps Became My Superpower
Little Miss Feminism is my name. Feminism is my game.
I am a feminist. (I am also a superhero-Little Miss Feminism is my hero name.)
This is me. This is what I am. (The superhero part is subject to debate.) I am also a woman, but the association between feminism and female-ness have less to do with each other than is commonly thought.
Last Thursday, I became a criminal. I performed the very first act of civil disobedience in my life. I joined a group of girls at my high school in deliberately wearing shirts that revealed our bra straps in order to comment the fact that our school has previously handed out dress code violations to girls for “inappropriately” wearing shirts that made it clear that they were, in fact, wearing bras. Their reasoning behind this action was that it was “distracting.”
What the school district dress code states is that “students may not wear any clothing and/or accessories in school buildings or on school grounds that are distracting so as to interfere with the teaching or learning process.”
What’s the problem with this? It’s not with the dress code itself. I fully support the need for an enforced dress code in schools. There is some attire that is not appropriate to a professional or educational environment. This is true as much in schools as it is in professional workplaces, and I will always respect that. However, here is what I do not respect: implying that the visual acknowledgment of an article of clothing which happens to be necessary to female health and hygiene is “distracting.” Why? Because this act is based on the inherent sexualization of females that is so rampant in this culture. It’s degrading and embarrassing to be told that elastic straps going across your shoulders are distracting because the picture they present is sexual. We’re not talking about cleavage or butts or baring the midriff or truly inappropriate and distracting sights in a school. We’re talking about something that is a normal part of an everyday woman’s life. And yet somehow this article of clothing has become associated with sexual thoughts.
Too, there are double standards for boys and girls. Boys may show their skin as often as girls do. And yet they are treated differently in these instances. A male with sagging pants could be punished or scorned for doing so, but not because it’s sexual. Do I look at a young man whose pants are sagging below his knees and showing off his boxers and say to myself, “Ooh, I’d tap that”? No-that is just exaggerated and outrageous, and so is the idea that adjustable straps on the backs and shoulders of young women hinder heterosexual males' ability to learn in a classroom setting. Yes, certain lines should be drawn as far as dress code is concerned, but elastic bands should not be one of them. I repeat that I am a full supporter and follower of the school dress code. What I am not in support of is the sexism this event demonstrates, as well as the bigotry and ignorance I found in comments on the newspaper article that reported our story.
I am a teenager, and more than that, I am a teenager with a laptop (another superpower of mine.) Hence I spend a lot of time (yes, Mom, more time than I should) on the internet. So I am not a stranger to internet trolls and their troll-ish behavior. On many topics that I care about, be it current events or Benedict Cumberbatch or my favorite movie, I tend not to read the comments, because I know that we are humans and there is always going to be someone out there that I disagree with. On this particular article that was very pertinent to my life, however, the comments caught my eye. What I saw sickened and saddened me and caused me to fall into a spiral of never-ending feminist angst.
There were the people who thought that showing bra straps was tacky. There were the people who thought we were rebellious teenagers and needed to conform to the rules. There were the people who thought we were overreacting. And there were the people who thought that what we were doing was irrelevant because sexism does not exist.
It’s the latter half of the people that I really felt the need to respond to. First of all, I wanted to clear up the point that what we were doing was not meant to protest the dress code itself. We respect and obey the authority of the school, and collectively changing our outfits on one day was not meant to undermine that. It was meant only to comment on the way women are viewed in our society. Second, I wanted to stand up for what I believe in-namely, gender equality. Saying that sexism, misogyny, and gender inequality are not rampant in our society is simply not true. What is true is that we have become so inured to it that it slips our notice. And we’ll never change if that trend continues. So my comments on said article, and the impetus for this essay itself, were not to “troll the trolls.” It’s to speak up. Make my voice heard. Show the world that I and others like me are ready to be a force for change in the world.
So let’s start with the basics. What is feminism? The definition of the word feminism is “the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” Which is obviously broad and covers a variety of issues-because there is a broad variety of issues it relates to. What is not feminism? Feminism is not the belief that women are inherently superior to men. It is not the belief that women deserve to be treated better than men. It is not the view that men suck and should be taken down. It is not “man-hating.” It is not the belief that women are smarter, stronger, more capable, or anything else that implies that one gender should be above the other. It is, in its purest form, the belief in gender equality. This means that feminism is not just about women. It’s about men too. It’s about everyone.
Why am I a feminist? Because women, I and my friends and relatives included -and yours as well-still deal with catcalling on a daily basis. Because there are 83 men in the US Senate compared to 17 women. Because on average, the median annual income for men was found to be $20,000 higher than that of women with the same education level. Because on average, a woman is raped every six seconds in the United States. Because victim blaming is prevalent. Because women do not have the freedom of their own bodies. Because it still happens that in the same job with the same level of education, women make about 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.
And because men are still thought of as bread-winners. Because “macho” standards are set for men and showing emotion and sensitivity is looked down on as degrading. Because on average, 1 in 33 men in the United States have experienced rape. Because it’s not just bikini-clad women in the media, it’s shirtless men as well. Because male nurses receive the same sideways glances as female mechanics. Because social media trends about this man’s abs or that man’s bulge, and asking us to vote on who is the sexiest man of the year, are acceptable and celebrated.
Because advertising, modeling, the tabloids, and other media all perpetrate body standards for women and men alike. Because both men and women are still judged on basis of their looks. Because everyone should have the freedom to do what they want with their life and choose whatever career or profession they desire, regardless of gender. Because there remains a clear divide in gender marketing aimed at children. Because sometimes the way one is treated depends on one’s gender. Because gender stereotypes hurt us all. Because inequality hurts the world.
Though sexism comes in many shapes and forms and applies to all genders, it is clear that women are not held equal to men. We are held to double standards-being punished for exposing our bra straps when boys go around sagging their pants and showing their underwear to the world. And I discovered even more of this inequality in the course of the exposed viewpoints of some of the public.
From outrageous to disturbing, I learned many things about the view of gender in our culture. Too many men excuse the objectification of women as normal: saying that it is perfectly “natural” for a heterosexual male to react to a woman because they find her attractive or are enticed by her body, and then act upon those desires. Many people set higher standards of modesty for women than for men. And women are still judged by their looks and what clothes they wear. I learned that when people are ignorant, they fall back on the most basic of bigotries-race, age, sexuality, gender, etc. On one occasion, a thoughtful and polite response of mine regarding the prevalence of objectification of women was responded to with a link to a Google search for Sports Illustrated bikini models and a rude comment-thereby supporting my point, really. Our school was scorned and maligned, every response I posted was met with blatant misogyny or just plain ignorance, but my personal favorite was when a man tried to insult me by calling me “little miss feminism” and promising a rude awakening when I got to the “real world.”
Sir, you may call me Little Miss Feminism any day, and I will smile and nod in return. I am Little Miss Feminism. And I am proud of it. (I made it my superhero name, after all.) If this real world that you speak of is the one that I see-one full of bigotry and ignorance and inequality- then I will be that rude awakening for the world. Because it’s long past time for that world to change.
Renowned novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said “We should all be feminists.” Yes. We should. We should all believe in the basic human rights of women and men and everyone in between to be equal. Men and women alike, we should all be feminists. And yet too many of us are not. Why? Well, I do not by any means excuse the behavior of the people that I have encountered throughout my life who do not believe in the disparity of genders or are repulsed by “feminism.” But I do believe that society shares the blame for this phenomenon. If you believe these viewpoints, perhaps some of the fault lies with ignorance. Ignorance of the true gender discrimination that happens in our schools, our workplaces, on our television screens, and in our books. Ignorance of the effect one’s casual catcall on the street will have on the victim. Ignorance due to a woeful inadequacy of sexual education in schools. Ignorance of the instances of sexism, bigotry, misogyny, and general inequality that happens each and every day in your house, in your office, on your street, and in your world. Ignorance of the true meaning of feminism because of the stigmas attached to it, such as the one that feminism is synonymous with “man-hating.” Which is why I believe half of the fight is education. Education that is delivered via comments in response to trolls, or long personal essays, or peaceful protests, or using your voice to speak out in society and make that change to the world beginning with yourself.
Many of you are likely aware of Emma Watson’s speech in front of the United Nations advocating for a campaign called “He For She,” meant to encourage men to join the feminist movement. I admire her greatly for this. I aspire to be a famous actress when I grow up, and I hope to use that position not just to celebrate the art of creation, but to use that influence just as Miss Watson, Taylor Swift, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Green, and many other celebrities have: to be a force for good. To be a force for change. To use my visible voice and my ready-made audience to make a statement that matters. Throughout my life I have looked up to people like these. To hear my heroes Emma Watson and Taylor Swift speak about such an important subject inspired my young feminist heart. I applaud Miss Watson and Miss Swift's actions and I hope to be one-half the inspiration to the next generation of girls that they have been to me.
However, I would like to add a little something of my own to Miss Watson's very fine points. I believe that this movement is not just He For She. It’s WE For She. It’s We For Us.
This is our world. We’re the ones living in it, and we’re the ones who have to take care of it. So let’s make it a better place for us to live in. And we have the power to do that. Consider this your invitation to join me-one step, one thought, one comment, one action at a time-to become We For Us.
"Ask yourself, if not me, who? If not now, when?" -Emma Watson
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