Short skirts, skinny jeans, jogger pants, comfy shorts, crop tops, blouse, long sleeves, jackets, dresses, sweaters, tube tops, swim suits, t-shirts, and many more. Some of the things I said are the typical clothing of women all over the world, yet people tend to disagree with every piece of clothing on their bodies simply because they are inappropriate. The specific reason, I definitely do not know but the fact that women are being sexually harassed and abused because of what we wear is a questionable issue and I beg to disagree.
A number of women are raped and sexually abused everyday in the Philippines. Worst cases involve family relatives as the primary suspects which are really disappointing and unbelievable. Even in public places, these kinds of abuse are witnessed. A woman riding a train was groped by a stranger from behind. A woman in the bus was touched on her boobs by the guy beside her. A woman riding a tricycle was brought to a strange place and raped unexpectedly. These are just some of the many more cases of women sexual harassment in the Philippines, yet the government and its citizens turn a blind eye. This quarantine period there is a popular mechanism to provinces with strict community quarantine wherein women are allowed to cross borders and buy necessities once they give their bodies to the policemen or soldiers on their posts. That is how painful the current situation is, day by day it is getting worse and everyone should be aware of the sad truth.
It is not only sexual abuse and harassment, but also being catcalled. The reason is because of the ladies wearing revealing clothes. But how can they explain a woman raped by his professor while wearing uniform? Even grand mothers and babies experience these immoral acts and yet they blame the clothes they wear. It is their mentality and character that need changing, not what we wear. We are not giving any consent to sexually harass us. It is a form of our identities and being confident with ourselves. It is not a yes to sexually maltreat us in any way because that is wrong no matter how men explain the science behind their uncontrollable sexual arousal while seeing us wearing what we like. It is their self-control that needs mending not our clothing.
To be a woman, it is really frightening to go outside alone on the streets at night with the unspoken fear of men catcalling me or doing something about me. It was like, a burden needed to be carried every day because I was born to be a woman. So, I am hoping that everyone should be aware that catcalling, rape jokes, and sexual acts to women and other genders will never be a joke. It is a serious matter that needs concrete solution in order to be stopped and not happen again. I am hoping that the future generations and my future children will never experience these kind of inhumane treatments because no woman deserves to be treated like those. None at all.
Clothing will never be the reason to do something bad to a woman. A changed mindset and respect are needed from everyone especially men to stop these painful crimes. It does not only result to early pregnancies but also wrecked women’s dignities. Parents should teach their children the virtues of respect and self-control so that in the future, he or she will learn to protect other people from harm and know his or her rights as a Filipino citizen.
Short skirts, skinny jeans, jogger pants, comfy shorts, crop tops, blouse, long sleeves, jackets, dresses, sweaters, tube tops, swim suits, t-shirts, and many more. We are free to wear what makes us confident and beautiful. None of these is a yes for sexual predators. It is a no for us.
Atarahxx 