Women should not be aloud to vote! Absurd, right? Citizens often pride themselves in the idea that all people are treated equally. If so, why are citizens unwilling to put an end to body shaming and sexual abuse toward women?

Society has put labels on women for years by saying they need to look a certain way to appeal to men. Too many ladies are putting their physical and mental health at risk by trying to obtain the “perfect body”. What most people do not understand is that having this ideal body shape is not achievable without being underweight and unhealthy.

According to mirror-mirror.org, risks associated with being underweight include anemia, nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, cardiac problems, and increased susceptibility to illness and infection.

In past generations, and even now, women have allowed men to tell them how to look, and they succumb to the pressure. Women need to live their lives for themselves and not for the satisfaction of others.

“I think the most important thing to remember is beauty fades but, dumb is forever,” said sign language teacher Jill Maxwell. “I remember someone bringing up how I have gained weight, and I said ‘but, my mind goes to the gym all the time, and it is hot!’”

By not addressing body shaming, we have opened the doors to allow the next concern, sexual abuse. Recently, there has been an increase in women speaking out about being sexually abused.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 91 percent of the victims of rape and sexual assault are females.
These issues linger in the shadows, and we choose to ignore them rather than fixing the problems. Recently, women have gained the confidence to speak their minds.

Women are doing anything from making use of social media, creating hashtags, and marching in the streets to show the seriousness of the situation.

Time’s Up is a huge movement that many people are using against sexual harassment. Many people on a variety of social media platforms have spoken up about being sexually abused by using #MeToo.

Using this hashtag not only helps them speak up about their assault but, it also educates people on how much rape and assault happens.  Another hashtag that has been utilized to represent women in a positive way is #LikeAGirl. The feminine product brand, Always, uses #LikeAGirl in their mission statement to encourage girls to embrace failure as fuel to build confidence and keep going.

On Jan. 20, 2018 countless women around the United States gathered together to have protests and mass rallies for the anniversary of the 2017 Women’s March. They did this to fight for all the issues they believe are important.

“It is good to know you are not alone,” said Maxwell. “When you are with a group of people who have the same passions as you it is very powerful.”

Women will continue to fight as long as they have to, so they can achieve the equality they deserve because Time’s Up.