A male opinion on feminism can be a very insightful thing. I encourage men to talk about feminism, because it affects everyone, from cismen and ciswomen, to trans women and men, and anyone in between our idea of binary genders. Men can talk about feminism in an effective and encouraging way. It is wonderful to have that perspective on the movement.
You’re standing in the middle of the tampon or pad aisle, perusing your options, and you eventually pick one out and hide it to the best of your ability. This is something that likely anyone who has experienced periods first-hand knows. However, this isn’t the way it should be.
In October, a Filipino woman was discovered dead in a motel bathroom, her head hanging over the toilet. Time Magazine reported that a U.S. Marine is suspected of murdering her by strangulation and pushing her face into the toilet water. Her name was Jennifer Laude, and she had been seen with the Marine checking into the motel before her body was found. According to the article, condoms were found in the trash in the room.
According to Urban Dictionary, a “Basic Bitch” is defined as: “Someone who is unflinchingly upholding of the status quo and stereotypes of their gender without even realizing it. She engages in typical, unoriginal behaviors, modes of dress, speech and likes. She is tragically/laughably unaware of her utter lack of specialness and intrigue.”
With Halloween coming up, you may have certain expectations about the infamous block party. And, for the most part, they are going to be correct. One of the biggest presumptions is that women will be dressed in less clothes than what the weather might suggest.Why have we come to expect this on Halloween? According to Cristen Conger, host of the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You, the reasoning dates back to the 1970s, when the Baby Boomers grew up and Halloween became widely celebrated by adults and children. Conger said there wasn't a term for it until 2004, when Mean Girls dubbed it “Slutoween.”It's quite the evolution in our history, but it's come with a special culture of slut-shaming. The only difference is that while people are still slut-shaming on Halloween, it’s becoming expected and acceptable. Somehow, it has become acceptable in our society, on one night, for people to wear revealing costumes.It's a confusing night. There are people who continue to judge and blame and shame those who choose to wear sexy Halloween costumes, and there are those who choose to view the night as a “get out of jail free card.” Like much of American culture surrounding sexuality, we have both the acceptance and desire for the revealing costumes, and the stigma against it.Also, as a culture, we tend to set up a false dichotomy that the people who don't wear a revealing costume are pure and respectable, and those people who do wear them are less deserving of our respect, and that they are somehow “dirty” and “used.”It's confusing because you're told that it's perfectly okay to dress as revealing as you want, but there are still other people telling you nasty things about that choice. My philosophy is this: you're allowed to wear what you want. Don't listen to those people telling you off and calling you names. If you want to dress up as Slave Princess Leia, go ahead.I believe that people have the right to wear what they want year-round, without being shamed for it. There should be no shame in nudity, like our culture suggests that there is. And I certainly believe that you should be able to dress how you want on Halloween. It is a night of dressing up and playing pretend, despite if a person is more adventurous or more sexy than you are. It may also come with a night of pretending not to be cold, but if that's what you want, I want the world to accept you for it.Bailey Breece is a junior studying English and German. Email her at bb463711@ohio.edu
Despite common misconceptions, feminism is not about man hating. Feminists do not want men to be considered less than women. In fact, most feminists simply want equality. The problem is when someone has a privileged status, that person can perceive someone taking away that advantage as having their status lowered.
Everyone is talking about “sex scandals” and leaked nude photos nowadays, and everyone has an opinion. Some people are willing to consider it the fault of the victim. “She shouldn't have taken the pictures if she didn't want people to see them,” however, is on par with “He shouldn't have been walking home at night if he didn't want to be murdered.”
In 2011, 83 percent of women and only 65 percent of men said that they spent time doing household chores, according to Time Magazine.
When I was in middle school, I thought that pink defined everything I had to steer clear of.
Solutions by The State News