Kylie Gillette
Women and Pop Culture
Melissa Santos
10 April, 2015
I know this week was focused around women in television, but something briefly came up in class today that really got me thinking: The idea of staying silent when you observe some injustice. For example, not saying anything when you hear a misogynistic joke. For the most part, I try very hard to speak against these injustices, but if I'm being honest, it is exhausting. Being aware of the status women hold in society is truly an exhausting experience. Noticing objectification, sexism, violence, silencing and any other act against women, whether its blatantly obvious or fairly subtly, takes a lot out of a person.
I don't know if I'm alone in this or not, but I like to think I'm not. Knowing exactly how terribly women are treated feels like there's a weight on my chest. Sometimes I stay silent when I witness this mistreatment, but I'm not always completely sure why. Maybe sometimes it's out of fear of people's reactions. I know I need to speak up, but a lot of the time I find myself unwilling to do so. A lot of the time, I just don't feel like spending all my energy actively thinking about societal violence against women. To me, it becomes so depressing and I wish more than anything that I didn't have to notice it.
However, wishing this also makes me feel guilty. I am glad that I am aware of the truth behind societal misogyny. I'm glad that I can use this awareness to fight against the mistreatment of women. But sometimes it becomes too much. It's almost depressing knowing exactly how little I'm thought of by society. Knowing how the world truly views you, based solely on biology, is exhausting and difficult. This knowledge is stressful and it feels like a weight on my shoulders, but it's also necessary if I want to do my part in the movement to liberate women.
This was a good topic to bring up. There are a lot of women in the world who choose to be silent, which shouldn't be the case. Women should be allowed to voice their own opinions as well as not be afraid to say what they want to say. I'm very glad that you brought this idea up.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great thing to pick up on. I can agree that it can become tiring and leave you feeling somewhat hopeless when the results of your words are so scarce. However, I think the most important thing to do is be self aware and apply your right mindset in all of your social intuitions. This will speak just as much volume.
ReplyDeleteKylie, since I was the one that brought it up, I feel like I should weigh in. It never gets easy, but I think that is what makes it so important. But I'm with you on the fact that it does get depressing when we constantly think about these issues, especially when we realize that there is still so much progress that needs to be made. I mentioned that I have lost friends because of my constant analysis/critique and honestly, that only fueled the fire. I was upset, don't get me wrong. This was a person that I really liked. It was disappointing, but in the end, I came to accept that not everyone thinks about the things the way I do and that is okay. But there are also times that I feel frustrated because there is so much I want to do, but I don't know how or where to start. This is why this class was so important for me because I felt that I was contributing to the cause in some way. It can definitely be exhausting! As I said in class, the people around me just roll their eyes whenever I bring up a sexist image or sexist statement, basically saying "Here she goes again!" That doesn't bother me anymore, though. It did used to, but as I got older, I realized that for me, the only thing that matters is that I am being true to myself. I have no one else. Do I always make these comments? No. I usually just consider my audience. There are just some people who will never change and I have to accept that. There are some people who I know will not understand or even realize why it these issues are important, so I don't bother with them. And it is totally okay to give yourself a break, too! There are times when I just want to have fun and not notice how men treat women at a bar or concert. I just want to enjoy the moment and I do. I always keep the bigger picture in the back of my mind, though.
ReplyDelete