Tuesday morning I woke up, the blinding light shining through my window. The sweet serenity of just waking up made me feel at peace, as if all of my worries and doubts were washed away. With not a second to spare, reality came barging in, demolishing any hope I had for today. Solemnly, I got up and began to make myself presentable, piece by piece. After trying on countless outfits, I settled on a not too revealing top with some loose bottoms. I then went into the bathroom and packed on some uncomfortable powder, smeared a paste onto my eyelashes and hoped I looked presentable enough for the day. 

As I went downstairs, I was immediately told that my outfit was not “pleasing” and that I needed to change. This time, I opted for a more skin tight top hoping that it would do the trick. Going downstairs for the second time that morning, my outfit was decent enough to get me out of the house. As I reached to grab a breakfast bar I instantly heard the, “Are you sure you want to do that?” interrogation question I am presented with day after day. Reconsidering this bar due to my tight top, I saw the time on the clock which answered the question for me. 

Rushing out of the house, I grabbed my bookbag and car keys and quickly drove to school. Once I arrived, I went to my first period and immediately knew that wearing a tight shirt was a poor idea. Without hesitation, people began to speak not so inconspicuously about how I was selling myself to boys and how I was “asking for it.” Filled with regret, I continued through my day.

 Traveling down the halls, I was soon dress coded by my teacher, who also remembered that this was not the first time. I was enraged over the fact that I was considered distracting for wearing a normal, full coverage top. Resentfully covering myself with a jacket in the hot 90 degree weather, I walked to my last class of the day thoroughly frustrated. Arriving in class, I was unhappily greeted by a roomful of men who had made their opinions of women engineers quite clear. While working and answering questions in class, I was constantly interrupted and talked over. As almost all of my days go exactly like today, I often wonder why we have not changed the system that promotes this behavior?

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The list can go on and on of how it is to live like a woman. In this short, first person story, many topics were even downplayed of how frustrating it is to be a woman and try to live a normal life without pointless interruptions such as feeling pressured to have an acceptable body type or making sure you look presentable so that women are pleasing to man’s eye. Women do not live their life to be objectified by men. Women do not wear make-up for men. Women do not dress nice to make other people happy. They do it for themselves because it is what makes them feel strong and confident. Our society has raised men in thinking that women have to please them and that a woman’s only job is to make a man happy. Neither is the correct ideal or way to teach students and young kids how to live their lives and what expectations to uphold. By reading this small sliver of this woman’s life, it is clear that we need to change and reform our way of thinking. Regardless of your preferred gender, now is the time to put an end to society’s forceful and biased ways. After reading this story, I hope that you will feel motivated to fix this corrupt system that has hindered us back for so long.