What She Said

BOXES.  man boxes. woman boxes.  


As Mia Love says "... I don’t allow anybody to put me in a box." 


So I like to shop
to RUN
to giggle
to FISH.


Sure I may be a girl
a lady
a woman.
BUT,  more importantly
I AM A HUMAN BEING.


But what makes YOU
think
I won't respond 
to your
shouts-whistles-namecalling


"hey baby"
"hey what's your number"
"hey! white girl"

if we are being completely honest...

"hi daddy?"

"tell me yours first?"

"hello, black boy?"

do ladies say these things to gentlemen as they walk down the street...?

do men feel uncomfortable walking down a physically safe sidewalk

only to be mentally verbally socially bothered or abused in some instances?

[{(sometimes, the answer is yes.  verbal abuse is not a thing just women deal with)}]

it is during these times 

heart pounding

eyes to the ground

feet moving faster

that i feel the walls of the box.

although at this moment,

i'm not a girl

lady

woman.

HUMAN BEING.

i've been objectified

i am a 'thing'  

sexism exists

exploits

tears us DOWN. 

how do we know?

we don't know... 

we FEEL it,

LIVE it,

EVERY DAY.

"Boxes" TO BE CONTINUED...

* notes: the left-justified quotes are actual words i have heard said to me.  i am not intending to address race in this post, and i also do not intend to make it seems as though there is a typical racial profile of the verbal agressor.  i would like to acknowledge the intersectionality of racism/sexism/classism (and hope to write about it in future blog posts).

http://www.pcc.edu/resources/illumination/documents/gender-role-boxes-glbtq-and-sexism-exercise.pdf


http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/01/house-candidate-and-rising-gop-star-is-black-female-and-mormon/?hpt=hp_c3