August is women’s month, but for some reason women can’t help but tear each other down.
Sreaming in silence: Women tear each other down behind closed doors for their own benefit. Photo Reuven Blignault.
Women have often been referred to as ‘cows’. This is not because of our lovely curves but mainly for our behaviour towards others.
Most woman in today’s society are very quick to stand up for women’s rights in the face of chauvinism, but those on social media and the world around us still think its ok for women to drag each other down.
History is riddled with women being demeaned in many ways, and slowly we fought back to receive the respect we deserve. Why is it then that women criticize other women or even participate in the phenomenon of slut shaming?
Maybe degrading women has become a disease in our society. On more than one occasion I have heard of two women fighting and degrading each other, because they are involved with the same man. Yet the man who is in the middle of this, and is the one who two-timed both women, sneaks by and looks ‘innocent’.
I walked around campus this week and asked 20 female Wits students questions about the subject. All the girls I spoke to admitted to having previously mocked and judged other women. The most popular responses when I asked what they mock them about were their style, how they behave, or even being ‘too confident’.
Too confident? When did it become ok for us to want women to take a back seat? Confidence is usually a trait that is celebrated but for some reason we don’t want our fellow women to own the pride that the many women before us fought for. But we should ask ourselves if the same confidence in a man would be reacted to in the same way.
By criticizing each other we are giving men permission to do the same. Why should they respect us when we cannot even respect each other?
I know I am very guilty of this crime, and it is my belief that everyone is. But why do we do it? Is our self-images so fragile that we have to drag others down to make us feel better about ourselves?
This month is Women’s Month. Perhaps instead of dragging other women down we should try and use our energy to celebrate and uplift each other.
What does it matter if we don’t like to buy the same clothes or that some women have the confidence to go out and get what they want? History has proven time and time again, we are a stronger force united rather than divided.
