Constellations

Today is the first day of the official SPI pre-exam long weekend which is not used to go on vacations, but instead to study. It happens so because on the second to the sixth of June, we are going to have our final exam. I cannot wait to finish the exams, and go straight to preparing for the senior's prom/formal.

Anyway, earlier today I was strolling down Tumblr and found the #YesAllWomen campaign popping up on the dashboard on and on and on. I searched the hashtag on Twitter, and it was amazing. Everyone, both male and female, sticking up to women's right due to the Isla Vista shooting in California. It makes me happy because I am glad that people finally realise the pain and hard work women have to go through everyday. But it makes me sad as well because, I can't believe in this era, the inequality of gender is still happening. And it's getting worse.

It's also sad because most of the tweets I've come through is true. It's real, and it's happening somewhere out there right now. I personally have felt a few of those tweets, and it makes me sad even more that someone's feeling that right now. It scares me because if the 'equality' of gender is stuck at this point, not moving forward, girls would have to live in fear, fear of coming out of the house, fear of wearing something that shows the skin, or even worse, fear of men. It's true that #NotAllMen disrespects female, but enough of men are able to make women feel this way.

I remember talking about being harassed with a close friend of mine. We both experienced it, and it scares us. To this day, I still have a slight fear of walking alone on a street. My friend doesn't want to do sports in the same place again because that place scares the hell out of her. And it's not really nice is it? For us to be afraid doing things that seems small. It's not fair that we're suppose to live in fear. It just isn't very nice that the society is making us feel that way.

Because every single woman I know has a story about a man feeling entitled to access to her body. Every. Single. One.#YesAllWomen- Emily (@emilyhughes) May 24, 2014

I'd like to recommend every guy read the #YesAllWomen posts. Don't comment, don't defend. Just read and think about living in fear.
- David Slack (@slack2thefuture) May 25, 2014

Writer and comedian Sara Benincasa told The Daily Beast, “#YesAllWomen is important because a lot of very good guys just don't know what it's like to walk around in a female body. They don’t know what it's like to live with the constant nagging threat of sexual violence every time we walk to our cars alone in a parking garage, or walk down the street at night to pick up food for our kids. They don't know what it’s like to get grabbed, poked, and prodded in public by strangers who are bigger and stronger than we are. Being a woman can be really scary, and if more guys realized it, they might modify their own behavior or call their friends out on bad behavior.”

I don't really have anything to say except for people to read #YesAllWomen on Twitter, and reflect about it. Whether you're a boy or a girl, this is important. It's about respect, to yourself and to your surroundings. Here are a few campaign pictures I love: