Battles for her....

This isn’t the first time that I’ve been challenged to position myself in this racist, male dominating society. As I think about the answers to these tough questions, I slowly began to unravel a part of myself that I do not think I possessed. I realize how ignorant I am sometimes about race and gender and the complexities that come with it. There are numerous times when I see a woman’s body being objectified on television or on the internet, and I would watch it without questioning the meaning of the image or even a slight thought that it will perpetuate societal image of women. Too often time such representation of women just past me by. It’s as if I can’t see the image anymore, as if I’ve become blind to what is so wrong to me. I feel fustrated and hopeless when I think about all those times I’ve helped perpetuate these very stereotypes about women: women don’t do well in math, it’s normal if women are a little sensitive, women are supposed to be nurturing, women have nice bodies, why not explore it? and so forth. I then become my own victim.

Gush of emotions washed over me as I think about my position as a woman in my family. I realized how little I am valued compare to my two younger brothers, how much hope my parents have for my two brothers and left none for my sisters and I. I realized the impact that stereotypes have on me as an Asian women. This is not to say that I’m not aware of the negative effects of stereotypes and prejudice, but to highlight how much we are shaped by our surrounding environment. I believe that men and women should be treated equal. Women deserve the same privilege as men. Women are mothers, sisters, wives, and friends. Women are nurses. Women are great chefs. Women are everything that men wants, not vice versa, therefore we deserve to be respected and loved, to be treated like human beings, and not viewed as sexual objects to satisfy the desires of men. We, after all, give the gift of life. We deserve every respect from the men in this world!