Man! It’s hard to be a girl.

Nowadays, there’s certain things females can’t do simply because the male population thinks they can’t. Athletics. Academics. All that. And, if they are not being judged for these, they are being judged  for their looks.  “You have to have the perfect body and a pretty face in order for guys to like you,” sophomore Kimberly Segura asserts. “It’s hard being a girl,” she further explains, “because you have to be like other girls who are pretty and who have a nice body or don’t get judged a lot–you feel like you have to fit in with them.”  Segura goes on to say that, any more, it’s scary for females to just take a walk outside without fear of being kidnapped or sexually assaulted. 

In 2019,  over 652,676 women were raped. Females ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape. And, Native Americans are at the greatest risk of sexual violence. Moreover, there’s an estimated 80,600 inmates each year who experience sexual violence while in prison or jail–many of whom are female. In essence, no place is safe.

What some may not consider is how language toward females can be just as violent. Segura agrees. “Guys these days typically make sexual comments [to or about females,] and it makes me feel disgusted [hearing it].” Society needs to create a climate where females–and all people–are not objectified physically or verbally. Every person deserves to feel valued for who they are on the inside and not judged by what they look like on the outside.

Wouldn’t it be nice if that trend started right here at Elkhart Central?