THE SHIT THINGS ABOUT BEING A GIRL

Thursday 16 February 2017



It's 2017 but somehow gender inequality is still an issue. People seem to still think males are inferior to us women and that we are too fragile to be powerful. I want to give one disclaimer before I keep going, I am not using this post to put males down and call them dicks. I am just using this post to bring to light all the issues that some males and even some females have a problem with, to spread the message and try and stop this from happening at all. This post is going to shine a light on many things not just gender inequality but also just shit stuff that can get some women down in the dumps, like periods, slut shaming and why some women feel the need to wear makeup etc... I worked with some amazing women and bloggers on this post and I am so ever grateful to them for helping me with this post. Check their blogs out by clicking their name after their statement, I highly recommend reading their amazing blogs. 

I have never been affected by 'slut shaming' but I always knew it was there. The word 'slut' never sits well with me. Some people may argue that it is just a word, but some words should be left unsaid. Especially the word 'slut'. In this generation it shouldn't be heard coming from anyone's mouth.

 As a quite conservative girl, I am usually covered in clothes and very rarely wear skirts or dresses, which is my choice. So to see women who choose to wear skirts of any length or a dress being ridiculed really bothers me. It really makes me think about the society and the world that I live in. In this generation, I just become puzzled that people still get judged on their clothes. Judge people on their personality. The person you are shaming on a daily basis for being a 'slut' may be the nicest, most driven woman on this planet but you wouldn't know as you are too stuck in a box.

Sex, people have it, some more than others. Some only when they are in a relationship as a source of intimacy. Others for fun. Both are perfectly okay, natural. The amount of sex a person has does not determine whether they are a good person or not. However, girls are shamed if they have a lot of sex, why? Why does it only seem to be when females have sex and not males?  The only difference between the genders are their private areas, women are human too. 

"There's nothing worse than having your sex life broadcast right? For men it's just more of an opportunity to brag about what a 'lad' they are but for a woman its a completely different kettle of fish. If a man sleeps around and enjoys embracing his sexuality not many people bat an eyelid however turn it around and put a woman in the same shoes and she has a completely different response. So many women fall victim to slut shaming; the sad thing is it's not just men who partake in it, other women do too. Why in 2017 are we still judging women for doing the exact same things as men? If a man's nudes 'leak' then there isn't much talk but if a women's are then we receive a torrent of abuse and get called so many horrible names.. sluts, whores, hoes ect... It creates a huge dent in our reputation. Why are we as a society so hell bent on making a woman's life hell for her nudes being shared without her permission, why aren't we targeting the men who leak these intimate pictures? Women should be allowed to embrace their sexuality and to not be shamed or made to feel like they've done something wrong. Slut shaming is a huge issue within today's society and we all need to stand together as women to protect each other, stand with each other and raise each other up." - Bettie Karen

Being a woman, I always feel the need to have my legs, arms, armpits etc... hairless. Not a hair insight. Having dark features and dark hair means that the hair all over my body, in which everyone has is very dark, meaning it stands out. On the tv you are constantly seeing adverts of women shaving a hairless leg. It puts a lot of pressure on girls and paints a picture that all women have to be hairless and there can't be a hair insight to be feminine. I've sat and watched youtube videos of brave girls putting their story and message out as to why they don't shave and then I sit and read the countless of comments of people calling them gross or unhygienic. I wouldn't not shave myself but it doesn't bother me if someone else chooses not to. People need to stop caring about what other people do and allow women to be hairy if they want to. Even the women that do shave cannot be hairless all the time, sometimes we miss a patch or we don't have time to shave.

"I am a hairy person. Actually, scrap that, I am a very hairy person. Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that i'm Indian? If that's any sort of consolation ( probably isn't ) but back to the topic! Growing up, having abnormal amounts of hair on my arms, legs, and face ( eyebrows on fleek? Not a chance!) was something that made me feel so insecure. Most of the girls ( and boys for that matter) around me didn't share the same issue, and if they did , boy did they get rid of it well! After being teased about something that was supposed to be completely normal, but because I was a girl, it was "gross" or "disgusting" led me to start waxing my arms and legs at nine- yes, nine and needless to say it was as if Lucifer himself was doing the honours! Whenever I had unwaxed arms or legs out I'd refuse to have my arms/ legs our on display out of pure embarrassment, not to mention my school uniform was a dress - didn't exactly help the situation! So this led to me wondering, why is there such a culture/ pressure for woman to constantly have Silky smooth skin all the time ( I mean that takes some serious dedication/ maintenance that most people don't even have time for) it has put such an unnecessary pressure on our shoulders, to make sure that our arms , legs, underarms, eyebrows etc... are waxed/ shaved/ lasered and threaded so that we can seem "presentable." Unfortunately it's something that most women just have to suck up deal with, because being hairy can't be helped sometimes, but you can get to a point where you don't hate it as much and accept yet another female struggle, even if it is a pain in the behind!" - Imaan

Whats a little rant about women problems without talking about periods? I remember being eleven and being excited to get my period because then I would be officially a 'woman', oh boy how I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to enjoy having no periods whilst it lasts. Getting woken up once a month with excruciating pain isn't fun, not only that you have blood coming out your vagina (TMI, but it happens get used to it). You can look at it positively and think one day I can have kids hopefully due to this. However, when you are seventeen somehow that doesn't cross your mind when you have to bleed out your vagina for the week and curled up in pain

Some guys get so grossed out at the thought of a period and nothing annoys me more. Get over it. At least you don't have to go through it. The least you could do is be sympathetic and not get grossed out when someone mentions that they are bleeding out their vagina. I don't want to have to censor myself about periods for some stupid guy who honestly is just an ignorant cunt. 

"Funnily enough as a girl, I have a period. Shock horror I know, but it's true, I bleed every month. It's a natural thing yet there's still a huge taboo surrounding it. Girls grow up feeling embarrassed about a natural thing, feeling as if they need to pretend it doesn't happen. Well it does, so why can't we normalise it, why can't we drop the p-word into conversations? Its 2017 and people still cringe when we mention we have period pains, or laugh when a tampon falls out of our bags. But why? Periods are seen as a big embarrassing secret and we are constantly mocked about it. We have to listen to words such as "are you on your period?" "Someone's on their period" etc. Over and over again because for some strange unknown reason, whenever girls are in a bit of a mood it automatically means we are on our periods. Yes, maybe we do get moody when it's the time of the month, but have you ever thought that maybe it's your annoying questions that make us so moody. Being in a mood does not mean we are on our period, but if we are, so what?! Just accept that and ask if we need anything. Periods are a normal part of being a girl and we shouldn't be made to feel embarrassed about it." - Dion

"Girls only like makeup and shoes and rom-coms" well sir you would be wrong. Us women are perceived to only like "girly" things. Yes I may like those things but we love other things as well. Stereotyping is one of the main issues in the world that still needs to be tackled. We are in 2017 and some men still think we belong in the kitchen making them sandwiches. Well Mr make your own sandwiches. We are not just baby making machines, who cook and clean. Yes we can do that but we are also very capable of doing what guys do and more. We have the ability to multi-task (well some of us). We can also hold careers, it's not the 1950s no more. Many men don't think this though, I do have to put that out there, many men are respectable and aware we women want a career as well as a family. There has been a lot of change, good change since the 1950s but there is still a lot to tackle.


"One of the big struggles of being a girl is the stereotypes you get pushed into all because you're female. Ask anyone and I bet you they've at some point been talking about a passion of theirs and been told "but you're a girl?". I love make up and shoes and girly things like that, but should that define me? I've heard it said to myself and others time and time again both online and in person "oh you like x thing, but "you're a girl" and it sucks because why does that matter? Constantly woman are told out down and told they aren't smart because their a girl, they can't like 'manly' things because they are girl, and it's pretty sad considering it's 2017 and this is still a thing that happens! I'm a girl, I blog about make up and I love spending my money buying a tonne of make up and shoes and I love going shopping and watching cheesy chick flicks, but that doesn't define me and it shouldn't. I'm a 3rd year university student studding Communication, Advertising and Public Relations, I'm smart and well educated. I absolutely love horror movies and TV shows, action films and superhero films. I love gaming and the outdoors, I love climbing and paintball and I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. So to any girls and women out there who are being told they aren't or can't do something because "you're a girl", just ignore them and you do you, because they're the one with the outdated, caveman mindset." - Ashley Lennon

Being a girl, I always felt the need to wear makeup. I always thought I was ugly without it and I still sometimes do. There is constantly an ad about a new makeup product with a model who is urging females to buy it. When I started wearing makeup it was mostly just for fun, it was a creative outlet for myself to enjoy but then it started turning into a must and I lost my love for makeup. Instead of putting makeup on because I like it, nowadays I put it on because without it, I don't feel presentable. I can't go off and conquer the day. I feel as if I won't be taken seriously. I know I am not the only female out there who feels this way. Makeup should be fun and a way to show individuality, not a must. You look beautiful with and without it.

"Although I am now of an age where I only wear makeup for myself I was once a thirteen-year-old that wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without makeup. There was always something in the back of my mind that told me I would fit in; I would be liked and believe it or not I could maybe become popular. That’s what secondary school was all about, becoming popular and having people like you. Makeup was always there to make me feel better about myself and give me a boost of confidence that most desperately needed. If you can see yourself in my thirteen-year-old self then I promise you, there is no need to hide behind makeup like I used too. Yes, you might have acne or an uneven skin tone and at this moment you think it's pretty much the worst thing in the world but honestly society needs to accept that girls are never ever going to fit into their idea of perfect. You ARE beautiful without a face full of make and makeup, do makeup for you and not because society makes you feel like you should wear it." - Niamh Marron

Thank you for reading this post, I just wanted to shine a light on what should be accomplished in the future to stop gender inequality. Thank you to the five awesome and beautiful girls who helped me with this blog post, it wouldn't be the same without them and be sure to check out their blogs as well. Be sure to follow me on my bloglovin to know when there will be a next post up. Goodbye.  

4 comments

  1. Great post, thank you for letting me be a part of it x Dion

    diondiane.co.uk

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    1. Thank you for being a part of it, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you girls x

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  2. This is actually one of the best posts I've read.. so great! 🙌🏽 Thank you! X

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    1. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much, I really enjoyed writing this post and put a lot of time and effort into it so hearing that you enjoyed it makes it all worth it thank you so much x

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