Menstruation's Ten Minutes of Fame

Headaches, cramps, and mood swings are all a part of the natural process girls go through once a month, or more commonly known as a period. People of today's society don't like to talk about this topic, which doesn't seem right to me. Back in tribal days, people would praise a girl when she first notices blood. Nowadays when mothers find out, they say "uh oh." What happen to openness of this natural and beautiful process? Society has told us that it's inappropriate to talk about girls having their period, although it's ok to talk about and promote people of all ages having sex. The natural side of sex is being discriminated against while the "fun" side is being glorified. I am not the only person with an opinion on this matter. Rupi Kaur, who is studying poetry at the University of Waterloo in Canada, is speaking out about this heinous norm that society has adopted. 

For a school project, Kaur uploaded a photo series to Instagram, all having to do with women and the natural process of menstruation. Because the photos go against the community guidelines, Instagram took them down from their social media site. Kaur got some media attention because of her response to Instagram removing her photos.  

This girl was born and raised in India, a country known for it's government censoring it's people. She wanted to speak her mind because for so long she was told that she couldn't; not to mention she's a women and women's opinions are not always valued everywhere in this world. She was simply trying to show the world the wonderful process of a girl's period. A natural process that was once worshipped by many tribes way back when. Mothers in the twenty first century think of this as a bad thing because it means their daughter can get pregnant now. They don't care that their baby girl has just become a women.  

I believe we need more people like Kaur to stand up for women and what we have to endure once a month. Instead of society promoting sex as being fun, why not sex being a beautiful and natural process among two individuals. Society has adapted the wrong way of thinking about this topic and we shouldn't have to take down photos that show the real struggle girls go through.  

Word Count: 391

World Wide Women's Sufferage

Women's rights isn't just a problem in American society, it's a problem throughout the entire world. Compared to some countries such as Afghanistan, Liberia, and Egypt, American women have it pretty easy. According to our constitution, we are allowed to fight for what we believe in which isn't the case in many places. American women tend to take their freedoms for granted when there are women around the world being killed not just because they want  the same rights as males, but because they are female. I feel as if most women in American society are ignorant of how far they're gender has come and we should be teaching not only girls, but boys as well of the hardships women have to face because of their gender.  

Afghanistan women are forced to hide their faces behind a burqa when in the presence of a non family member, especially in the presence of a male that is not her husband. This is a norm in the Middle East because their religion says that a women's face is only for the eyes of her husband and family. Women in this region are also not allowed to leave the house without a male family member, whether it be a grandfather who is one hundred years of age or a little baby boy. In Afghanistan it's a custom to beat your wife. If she upsets the male of the household, she gets a beating. I know domestic abuse is a problem here in the United States, but our government is trying to prevent abuse from happening. We have clinics and safe places for people in abusive situations to go and find refugee. In countries like Afghanistan, the government turns a blind eye to abuse because it's a social norm. It's a social norm that needs to be broken but can't without the help from people like you.  

In middle schools and elementary schools around the nation, women's suffrage is not a topic they spend a lot of time on when teaching social studies. Because the curriculum doesn't require it, teachers don't feel the need to talk about it. So these kids grow up not knowing much about the hardships women had to face in order to get the freedom and rights they deserve. Because kids are the future of tomorrow, this inevitably leads to more and more adults not knowing nor caring about women's freedom or rights. School districts should make it a requirement to teach young kids about why we have the freedoms that we do; not just why men have those freedoms, but women as well. Knowing the pain and suffering these people went through all those years ago, can really change a persons' opinion and perspective on things and these are the kinds of people that should be running our country. 

Word Count: 471

Good and Bad Role Models

There are many different types of role models in today's society. Many young teenagers consider Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Kardashian to be great role models. These people are not promoting a healthy life style that the kids of America should be looking up to. They promote drama, sex, drugs, and alcohol. There are so many good people in the limelight of society but citizens of the world chose not to acknowledge these people because they're not "cool" enough or "hipster" enough. Not only that but who decides what cool or hipster really means? Important questions to keep in mind when looking up to someone. 

People that should be idealized in society are people such as Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and Jennifer Lawrence. Now if you could please take a moment and notice what all three of these people have in common, they're all women. I'm not saying that men can't be idealized too, but there are very few men celebrities who haven't fallen off the wagon. Granted these three women are not saints by any means, but the way they handle themselves after a scandal is what ultimately sets them apart from other celebrities. Not to mention what they promote in their song lyrics and interviews. 

Taylor Swift has been a popular figure in society ever since her first hit single "Our Song" back in 2006. If you compare her style and her motives from when she first entered the business to now, you will see a big change. When Swift was first starting out, she was probably told what to wear, how to look, and how to act by one of her publicists who tried to assimilate her into society. As time went on and she became more popular, she started making decisions for herself. She now promotes being yourself and not caring what others think of you. This message can be found in many of her current songs, such as "Shake It Off." 

Meghan Trainor hasn’t been around as long as Swift, but she is still just as popular. She was first noticed for her song "All About That Bass" which is a very powerful song for many young teenage girls. The lyrics of one of her most famous songs promotes being curvy. Society has told us we have to be a size two, but this celebrity is saying she's nowhere near a size two and she's just fine with that because boys love her just the way she is. 

Jennifer Lawrence is... Jennifer Lawrence. There's not much to say about her than that. When she walks into a room, she owns herself. She is also very honest and open about herself. She makes it very clear that she is who she is and no one can change her. Girls have always been taught to say nice things and to act lady like. Lawrence does the complete opposite because she's showing her true colors. She wants people to know the real her, not the person others want her to be. 

Notice how all three of these people are very strong and independent women. They're teaching young girls it's ok to be yourself and not to let people tell you who to be. Like I said, these women have been portrayed badly in society because of a few little mistakes, but the way they pick themselves up afterwards is what sets them apart from the rest of the world.  

Word Count: 572