Hello readers! I hope you’re doing well and that you are still contemplating on your first love that is sometimes a long-lost one. Today we’re going to talk about the sexist comments that society passes without realizing that it is a sexist comment. As a generation-z kid, I was also a victim of the same. I am very sure that half of us or I would say the majority of us would have faced this at least once in our entire lifetime.
Sexism is not just about the discrimination and prejudices against a woman on the basis of sex but it is also million other things that we are pretty used to say but they are comments which represent sexism. As a girl with a dark complexion, I have faced a lot of discrimination but people think it is okay to say “you’re pretty for a dark-skinned girl”. This raised a question on my mind – Are dark-skinned girls not expected to be pretty? Does it not reinforce that dark, pretty girls are an exception to the rule that dictates beauty is ideally the domain of fair-skinned women? Well, this does not end here. I was a girl who was always fond of riding bikes and I loved calling myself a biker-girl but when I ride the bike and go on the road I see a thousand eyes staring at me as if I have done something I probably should not have and there are some people who think they are encouraging me when they say “you drive well for a woman”. It’s a common stereotype, and the punchline of many tasteless jokes, that women are bad drivers. This isn’t a compliment but it belittles all the women.
I am not a very outgoing person but when I feel comfortable around someone I tend to be pretty much naughty and a bit of a crackhead too. When I start talking comfortably I sometimes hear a comment saying “you are not like other girls”. Usually meant as a jibe towards women who reinforce “femininity” by being too emotional, clingy, vain, and overbearing. What men are being thankful for is finding someone who suits their exact requirements, without having to compromise on their “manliness”. The descriptions ‘feminine’ and ‘girly’ are pretty commonly used as insults but ‘masculine traits are seen as a good thing. They say things like ‘take it like a man’, or ‘man up’, when they’re describing courage and toughness but phrases like ‘don’t be such a girl’ are used to insult and draw comparisons between being feminine and weak. Sexist language can be hard to spot because of how casually it’s used but it’s important to keep a check on what you say in case you’re encouraging sexism.
I have seen people say “you have very pretty features. Lose some weight to highlight them or gain some weight to highlight them”. This is an underhanded way of saying, “Why are you fat or why are you skinny? Don’t be because pretty girls aren’t fat or skinny. Why is it that “pretty” features and body sizes don’t sync? Why is it something uncomfortable that needs to be corrected? The other set of people come under the family category where they say “we have raised you like a son, not like a daughter”. What families mean when they say this is that they have given their daughter all the rightful freedoms as they do for their son. What this implies is that those freedoms are essentially meant for the son, and always will be.
Being in the year 2021, where technology has improved but the mindset of people has not improved makes me feel ashamed. These are just a few examples I have given but there are million other comments which preach sexism in society. Being a generation-z kid who has faced all these makes me wonder about what kind of a world am I living in. I hope and wish that the future generation does not face discrimination based on sexist comments. I hope this blog was an eye-opener to a few who would have used these comments and an eye-opener to a few to stand up against those comments when someone passes them. You would have faced other kinds of sexist comments too. Let me know in the comment section about what you faced in this society and what you would wish to change. Until then, happy reading and stay safe. We’ll meet in the next blog.