The Reality of Being a Girl

By Lisbeth Valenzuela

“If you wear a crop top they will think you’re easy.”

“Cover up so guys won’t look at you.”

“You shouldn’t wear leggings in public.”

Those are just some phrases that have influenced the way of thinking of young females in today’s society. Girls, for many years, have been told what not to wear and what to wear by family members, idols, or even strangers. This is because of the fear instilled since the first reported “modern-day case” of sexual assault, which took place in 1944. Although sexual assault dates back to Ancient Greece and the Bible, citizens treated it as an incident that couldn’t touch them. In 1944, twenty-four-year-old Recy Taylor was kidnapped by six men while walking home from church in Abbeville, Alabama, and was assaulted in the back of a truck. Since the case of Recy Taylor, the United States went into a precautionary system especially around women which has, in some way, hurt us. Due to the constant fear expressed by individuals and the rising number of young ladies being assaulted, analysis has shown that women are more likely to purchase products such as pepper spray and/or pocket knives. Although there are many with fear, as young females, we should take in the information and reform it into something better. Of course, be cautious of what is surrounding you but that should not be enough to listen to people telling us what we should or should not wear. Let us use this stigma to create change.

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Resources:

“Recy Taylor, Rosa Parks, and the Struggle for Racial Justice.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian, 10 Aug. 2020, nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/recy-taylor-rosa-parks-and-struggle-racial-justice.