- Shaving your legs.Am I shaving my legs because female leg hair has been deemed gross by men, or because I enjoy having smooth legs? The world may never know.
- Wearing crop tops. Crop tops are comfy and cute, but I never know if I’m going to be perceived as a tease, desperate, fat, or some combination of the three. At the same time, I don’t want to rob the world of the chance to see how cute my belly is. Oh well.
- Makeup, or the lack thereof.
Sometimes I want to wear makeup, and sometimes I don’t. It’d sure be nice if I could do either without society telling me I was trying too hard or not trying hard enough. Sometimes I just roll out of bed and leave my skin as is, and sometimes I want to match my lipstick to my underwear. It’s that simple.
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Queer women.Queer women are seen as a challenge to many men, like it’s their job to “turn them straight”. Because of the oversexualization of queer women (an oversexualization that queer men face too, but to a lesser degree), they’re often seen as explicit or raunchy because of their queerness. It’s unfair, and queer women didn’t ask for any of it. (Thanks, porn industry!)
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Men crying, or expressing any emotion at all
The patriarchy doesn’t just hurt women. Men feel like they can’t cry or be vulnerable, when in reality, being soft and expressive is its own kind of strength and power. Being emotionally repressed isn’t good for anyone.
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Skirts.
Considering Emma Watson had men take photos up her skirt only hours after she turned 18, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that now even doing something as simple as wearing a skirt makes women targets for sexual harassment.
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Everyday products.
Since when do inanimate objects discriminate by gender? What makes pens feminine? Seriously, does anybody know?
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Tampons and pads.I don’t know why, but at some point in history, tampons vs. pads became a thing, like women were better women for using tampons over pads, or vice versa. Some girls find tampons uncomfortable, and some girls find pads uncomfortable. It should be that simple.
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Female characters.
If she doesn’t have big boobs and isn’t dressed scantily, she’s boring. If she has her own agency and doesn’t return the male lead’s advances, she’s annoying.
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Self-worth.If we love ourselves, we’re arrogant and self-absorbed. If we like our bodies, we’re stuck up. If we have image issues, we’re pathetic. There’s no way to win. But who cares? You’re beautiful, inside and out, no matter what. And that’s what matters.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UH chapter.