2016 essay contest honorable mention
Essay by Sara Morchen
“Excuse me, I don't want this to sound mean but could you maybe pull your shorts down a little? I don't want men to undress you even more with their eyes."
This is what a girl I did not know told me on the street last summer. It was one of the hottest days and my friends and I decided to go downtown to do some shopping. Concerning the hot day of the summer, I wore a crop top and high-waisted shorts which basically every other person did to not feel too hot all the time. At one point, my little group of friends and I decided to stop for a few minutes to drink some water. That's when said girl came to us and told me to cover my thighs more with the fabric of my shorts. At first, I was shocked that I could just say “okay” to her. Later on, I actually became really angry, because, in general, I cannot comprehend that people feel the need to tell others how to dress.
This is not the thing that bothered me the most about her comment, though. The reason why the girl had come to me was that, apparently, men had been gawking at me. Well, that is objectifying! It happens everywhere around the world but that does not make it okay. I do not stare at a man’s naked torso either, do I? It is legitimate to wear short or less clothes on hot summer days and it should not be an invitation for people to be aroused by other person's naked body parts. Additionally, why do girls or women have to tell other girls or women what to do to prevent objectification?
We live in a country, where feminism is known but also needed. How will the world be able to achieve equal rights if even the female population changes their clothes rather than embracing them and trying to teach others how to behave? It is one thing that objectification exists, both for women and men, but it is awful that people tend to accept it. So, what is the biggest challenge facing women and girls in my country today? It is the society that is already accustomed to objectification and inequality. In Germany, it has already become a normal thing that you are gawked at. It is that natural that even women feel the need to protect one another. Being able to see somebody's belly button or their thighs is not an invitation for hitting on them. Furthermore, it is also unnecessary to tell a person to not express themselves, because they could be reduced to nothing but their sex.
The only way, we can change this issue is by teaching both women and men to respect everyone's choice of clothes and body. So, don't do what the girl on the street did to me. Instead, walk up to the women or men who gawk at those girls or boys and tell them that this is not the right way to treat a human being. If we don't act, nothing will ever change. Education is the only solution to inequality and sexism. Stop blaming the people who are being gawked at for dressing indecently – Start blaming the people who gawk because that is the actual reason why objectification still poses a big issue in our society.