Boys and Girls, Men and Women - Equality Deferred

New Avengers shirts just came out:

Boys: I am a hero

Girls: I need a hero

Yes…this is real!

Yes..this is happening all over!

But this isn’t just these t-shirts…no. This is all over the clothing spectrum. We put messages on girls’ shirts that are vastly different than those messages on boys’ shirts. We use different language when speaking about and to boys, and we even propose to boys that they can do things that are never told to girls.

As I have raised my 2 young ladies (both 12) I have seen the ugly head of sexism rear it’s head time and time and time again. There were shirts that said, “I;m pretty” next to boys clothes saying “I’m smart”. There were shirts that said, “I’m mommies little princess” next to “I’m daddies big man” .

(BTW – I’m not going to speak about the violence that exists in the “boys” wear that promotes violence in boys in this post…but it is very prevalent and very horrible. I have spoken about this in the past multiple times!)

But as I read what I just wrote, I know what you’re saying…the “smart” shirt could be for girls as well. You’re right!  The problem is, it’s not sold in the girls section. It’s not even close to the girls section. Also, we have deemed that certain colors are for girls clothes and boys clothes…and if you go to school wearing a different color…you WILL be made fun of. So, if my daughter goes to school in a “heavier cotton” dark blue shirt, she will be told she’s wearing a boys shirt. (This actually happened!)

This is the message that 52% of the population gets: you are not good enough, you need to be saved, your body and looks are the most important, and you are dependent.

This is the message 48% of the population gets: you are awesome, you are great, you are a hero, you can get anything you want, you are a protector.

Looking at these two statements…it’s obvious that the 52% population will be dependent on the 48% population, because of being told this for their entire life through EVERY media in existence.

By the way: 52% of our population is female. 48% of our population is male.

It’s not a coincidence that we see women viewing themselves as “less than”…because that is what we have taught them.

We must do somethign to change this.

Chad Herman - motivatingforpositivechange.com