Are We Creating a Generation of Helpless Females?

This is reposted from August 2015.


(added June 2016) With all of the recent hoopla about the Stanford rapist and his guilt (which is terribly, graphically obvious), I had to add my thoughts to the conversation.  While those in his position should never, ever be let off the hook and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, I wonder if we're giving future potential victims the wrong idea.  Are they getting the idea that their safety is the responsibility of attackers?  Are we forgetting to teach our children how to keep themselves safe in the first place?


 

It's been plastered all over my Facebook feed: high school students protesting the dress code rules in their schools, girls wanting to wear spaghetti straps and short shorts to school each day, or backless dresses to prom.  And it just happened again, with a girl who was sent home for wearing a top that went against the school dress code.


The protesters almost always have the same reasoning, and this case is no exception.  They feel the school and school board is objectifying female students, sexualizing them and contributing to a culture of rape.  They call themselves feminists, and say that if boys are distracted by what the girls are wearing, they need to keep themselves under control and learn to ignore the wardrobe choices of their classmates.

Very little attention is ever given to the fact that dress codes are often unisex, and both genders are usually expected to follow the same rules.

The school staff and school board generally respond with something like "We're preparing you for the work place and for life.   School is a professional environment, and everyone should dress appropriately for it.".

Parents take the sides of their children, staff have sit-downs with students and try to explain the reasoning, and the students continue to rally support with online pictures showing their outfits as "not that bad".

[caption id="attachment_8059" align="aligncenter" width="820"]Dress Code Protest Photo: Newsbusters.org[/caption]

The school boards are correct.  Life has dress codes.  Whether you end up working in a corporate office or at McDonald's,  you won't get away with your crop top.  You'll likely receive a reprimand and eventually fired if you don't conform to your employer's dress code.  That's just life.

But the underlying question here is this: Are we creating a culture of entitled girls that expect the world to cater to them?  Are we giving them a victim mentality and telling them that no matter what they do, how others see them is completely out of their hands?  Are we telling them that the rules don't matter?

Because this issue extends very easily into other areas of life.   The 14 year old girl getting drunk late at night in a house full of drunk teenaged boys with no sober adult or any kind of supervision wakes up the next afternoon to find she has been raped.  Not only that, but online pictures of it are circulating.

Let me be clear: Rape or any kind of sexual assault or abuse absolutely wrong and it is not the victim's fault. 

However, our hypothetical 14 year old could easily have protected herself by avoiding the situation in the first place.

And here's the thing - teaching our girls that they can wear whatever they want, do whatever they want and spend time wherever they want without expecting repercussions from those choices is ignorant.  Because the truth is, violating any school rule has consequences.


Not only is it ignorant, but it's creating a generation of girls that are as far from feminist as they can get.  Because we're putting their safety and their well-being in the hands of others.

We're giving them permission and free license to place their safety into the hands of teenaged boys. 

As women, do we really want equal rights for our daughters or do we want them to put their safety and well-being into the hands of others?  Do we want to raise a generation of independent, informed women who control their own future, or do we want them to depend on others to direct their path?




feminism


noun fem·i·nism ˈfe-mÉ™-ËŒni-zÉ™m


: the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities






I'm raising my daughter to make wise choices, to know that ultimately she is responsible for her own protection.  And that while she has men and boys in her life that would lay down their own for hers, she can not expect them to stop bad things from happening.  She needs to be proactive in protecting herself, whether it's in how she presents herself, what kinds of friends she makes, or what kind of places and situations she puts herself in.


I also have teenaged sons.  I'm raising them to understand that they were given strength and wisdom for a reason - to help and protect those around them that need it, to put the needs of others ahead of their own, and to know that they are always responsible for their own actions.


But not all sons are raised that way.  And even if they were, they have the freedom to choose their own actions in any given moment of time.  I don't want my daughter to be the victim of someone else's poor judgement.

Yes, we need to do a better job of raising our sons.  We need to teach them to respect others, to treat others better than themselves, to never put themselves in a situation where their judgement is impaired.  But we also need to do a better job of raising our daughters.  It must be an equal effort.

I drive defensively and wear a seat belt to protect myself from other drivers on the road, I am careful who I share my secrets with, and I lock my doors at night.  Why would I expect my daughter to live any differently when it comes to how she presents herself and where she spends her time?

It starts with girls feeling entitled to break school dress codes.  It starts with us telling them that "yes, school boards should change their policies to suit you."  It starts with handing the power of safety and protection from one gender, our daughters, to the other gender, our sons, when we tell them that boys need to stop sexualizing them.  It starts with us telling our daughters that "You have no power over how others perceive you," when in reality, we all have the ability to choose how we present ourselves.

Placing all of the responsibility, all of the power for any one thing into the hands of one gender has never been a good thing.

Our daughters need to have equal rights.  They have the right to know how to dress appropriately, just as they have the right to know how to protect themselves by choosing the situations they put themselves in.

Please moms and dads - don't make your daughter into a helpless victim.    Give her the tools she needs to avoid becoming one.  Don't raise her thinking that the world should cater to her.

Empower her to make wise choices, and to make her own decisions.  Give her the knowledge the gift of an attitude of not being entitled to special privileges, like breaking the rules.  Rules are created for a reason, and there are ways to change them, if needed, without breaking them.


Let's raise a generation of strong and powerful women, not a generation of helpless women.

18 Comments

  1. My kids are all grown, but I taught my girls to always dress modestly and to always be aware of their surroundings. You can be trendy and modest. And that rules are made to protect them, not to punish them. I taught my boys to always treat girls the way they would want their sisters treated. No, they are not perfect, but parents have to step up to the plate and teach their daughters to be strong and powerful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been teaching my girls that they need to dress appropriately, and act appropriately but I've always taught my boys no means no, and all of my children about consent. I don't think how a girl dresses really is an excuse for boys, but I also don't think boys are stupid and know exactly what they are doing when doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's awesome that your raising my daughter to make wise choices! I'm so thankful to have had such an amazing mother teach my sister and I have to think for ourselves.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chrishelle Ebner10 June 2016 at 09:23

    I am the mom to two teenage girls. I have always taught them to respect themselves and that shows in their choice of attire. Both are very beautiful and enjoy dressing fashionably, but still maintain their Christian values. I think if they came home wanting to protest reasonable dress codes I would remind them of the 100'same of other valid issues that they should protest.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the message you are trying to convey here. In cases like this, people tend to blame only one side. But the truth is there are matters that both sides could have done to prevent these cases from happening. And I think educating our kids is important and such education starts at home.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've seen a lot of young girls get into trouble, all over what they were wearing. I know these girls think us adults live in the old day or whatever, but I really wonder if they truly understand, that a lot of boys will automatically assume, what they are wearing, they are looking for attention. A lot of these issues, I agree, could have been prevented if the appropriate dress code was followed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really enjoyed reading this, thanks for sharing your view on the whole of everything being talked about on FB over choices and victims, etc. It's important for many to read this, I am not a mom but I can totally understand what you are trying to convey here.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you. Just Thank you. I really enjoyed reading this. I love how you put into words what my thoughts have been reading along after something happens and I even hear local teens talking extremely entitled and I am scared. Totally scared for what the future holds for our now childcare when they become adults. I loved reading this and had to share on my FB page!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Heather Stone Brodbeck10 June 2016 at 13:26

    Exactly you can be wearing a black party dress but that doesn't mean "YES" /or you gave consent. No means No and No at anytime still means No!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rebecca Swenor10 June 2016 at 19:00

    This is indeed a great topic and I do think that we as parents need to teach our girls not to be helpless. Dress codes are for both male and female. It is all about dressing appropriately in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love this. While I sometimes disagree with the school dress codes, I totally get it. However no means no and I also teach my kids to respect others.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think it is very important that children both girls and boys are taught about personal safety, consent and boundaries. Knowledge is definitely power!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think that the messages we put out are so important for our kids and those around us. The more our kids are empowered and strong, the more the world changes!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's never the victim's fault, we can agree on that. But I understand what you're trying to say about choices and dangerous situations.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I really enjoyed reading this. It's so important for us, mothers, to teach our little girls the importance of not being helpless.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I definitely get your viewpoint but I still think victim blaming is out of control. All children, teens and even adults need to learn and understand boundaries and that No is an answer. Period

    ReplyDelete
  17. Things sure are different now. I'm 40, and my childhood was nothing like what the kids deal with now. It's really sad to see all of this - especially not taking responsibility for their actions!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I agree we need to teach our future generations of children to be brave, strong and stand up for themselves. We need to teach them honesty, compassion and love too. This world needs more love!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post