When people say, “that’s not very ladylike of you”, I always respond by asking the same question, “What do you mean ladylike?”. While I do know what they are trying to say, I like to hear the responses because they are usually extraordinarily senseless. The thing I want these people to understand is that the term ladylike can mean so many different things. There’s no one way to be a lady, although some people like to think that there is. The way people believe a lady should act is extremely out of date and honestly just ridiculous. There’s no right way to be anything but yourself.
There’s a confusion in the world that people are what they present on the outside, but in reality, we are much more complex than that. You are whoever you want to be and I’m not just talking about gender here because that’s a whole other insane situation. Gender itself has become so much than just what you look like on the outside, it is also about how you feel as a human on the inside. When it comes to you, just as a person, you are and can only be yourself, whoever that might be.
For a while, it seemed that this problem had gotten better. We were making progress in the world of “women” and “men” being not only equals, but also less stereotypically distinct. However, lately it feels as if this problem is resurfacing and becoming more controversial than it was before. Some men have become more forward with their ideas of what a lady should be, and while they are allowed to have their opinions, we as women don’t want or need to hear them.
Of course, our so-called president has something to do with this uprising, but that goes without saying. The way he sees and treats women is disgusting and has made others feel that they too can express these opinions aloud. Unfortunately for them, women are stronger and more powerful than ever, and we won’t let your opinions change the reality.
The issues in our world shouldn’t be debated in a man verses woman viewpoint, it should instead be seen as an issue for everyone. Rather than saying, this is how it should be, we need to be understanding that the world and the people in the world are changing constantly, thus our views on certain issues should evolve with it. Remember this, only you can control who you are and how you portray that person. No man or woman or anyone can tell you how to be you.
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