I am a woman.
I did not come into this world with a silver spoon in my pocket that told me every word out of my mouth was gold; I came into it with a fork in my side that said, Stay quiet, stay invisible, stay obedient, because you and your kind have nothing of value to add.
I am a woman.
I did not come into adolescence with a solid path laid out before me, straight and relatively unhindered; I came with a twisting path, a shifting path, a drop-out-from-beneath-my-feet path that said the only way I could be somebody was if I was this size, if I had this hair, if I shaved my legs, if I folded myself inside this box, if I didn’t argue, if I passively watched my world unroll before me rather than grabbing it with both hands.
I am a woman.
I did not come into adulthood with an eye already fixed on the prize assured me; I came with an eye assessing the steep climb that would lead to maybe more value and maybe fairer pay and maybe a better chance to prove that I do have something important to contribute.
I am a woman.
I did not come into the world with anything assured me except that others have bravely worn this title of woman and have even so shifted the trajectory of the world.
I am a woman.
-Rachel Toalson
Judgment
They can rape you
and get away with it.
They can fondle you
and get away with it.
They can say things
that make you uncomfortable
and get away with it.
It doesn’t matter
that you’re entitled
to due process or retribution
or, at the very least,
protection from rape or
unwanted fondling or
insensitive comments.
They don’t even know
what justice means anymore.
Judgment is made before
the first witness is called—
upon first sight, really.
They only need a good, long look
to see you for what you are:
a girl who doesn’t know
the difference between
sexual harassment and
an appreciation
of beauty.
Silly little girl.
-Rachel Toalson
No comments:
Post a Comment