Must not be a slut. Must not be called a whore. Must be in the kitchen. Must be modest. Must not think originally. Must not shine as bright. Must not be a nasty woman.

These are not just the murmurs whispered in the hallways but the ones screamed to the world as women grow in power. It the kind of language we grow up hearing and eventually, it’s the kind of language women tell each other.

However, the society that we live in today tolerates slut shaming and abusive language; it demotes the worth of women in the workplace, it creates a hierarchy barrier women are yet to shatter. Although women are gaining back their voice, we still have a far way to climb to reach complete equality.

I understand the feminism movement is looked at in a liberal light, shunned by most conservatives. Some women go as far to protest the women’s rights marches supported worldwide. It’s a shame this matter has turned to the political light, removing the ethical essence from the subject, separating woman from woman.

The dictionary definition of feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. However, in modern times, it has transformed to both the overpowerment of women and the negative connotation that women are better than men, both straying from its original intent.

Equality for women does not mean men lose strength. It does not mean women are the inferior gender. However, it does mean the two should be working side by side rather against each other. It means women are allowed to be creative and make an equal pay in addition to working their desired jobs and avoiding the nasty language thrown at them.

When we are in elementary school, girls are told that if a boy picks on them that means the boy likes them. All of a sudden when we are adults and a man abuses a woman whether physically or emotionally, the women fails to see this as harmful but rather as an act of compassion, due to the raised we were brought up. Parents traditionally pass the pressure onto their child to neither defend themselves nor say no, followed by the schools careless acts of ignorance.

If you look around in this class you see women who may not be filed into this sort of powerless figure, you may not see men who place women under them, but that does not mean it does not exist. While women have grown in the ranks and respect, they struggle to take high end positions without their gender becoming a factor. Even in our own presidential elections fate has fallen into the hands of men, claiming a woman could not handle such power, or shouldn’t.

Society as a whole has taken monumental steps forward, providing women with the capabilities for expression, for creative equality, however, there is still a far way to go before little girls are not mistreated on the playground and women have the same compensation, before women shatter their glass ceiling, leaving shards of remembrance behind. The steps to further unite our gender gap starts with childhood and the parents that influence behavior. IIt starts with recognizing women’s right to stand alongside men in every aspect.

Is it okay to disarm the movement in my words but then why shame on me for not wanting to be viewed as a housekeeper doubling as a sexual prize rather than an equal in both intelligence and ability for power? Just remember that the little girl on the playground who accepts the most bullying may be the one who ends up a slave to a man’s hands.