I remember the first time I was ever cat
called it was the summer after junior
year and I had just spent the day with
my friends shopping and eating at
downtown Durham and we were heading back
so we were heading back to her school so
we were getting on a bus there and I was
the last person to walk up the bus with
my friends and as I walked up the bus
I remember hearing this distinct whistle
this kind of very typical cat call
whistle and I remember my heart dropping
in my chest because for the first time I
felt like a piece of meat this piece of
meat that was on display for everyone to
see and judge and look at because that
clock collar you put all this attention
on the parts of me that are often deemed
sexy or sexual I felt like nothing more
than a nice rack or nice ass I felt
almost violated growing up I wasn’t
really allowed to wear I guess revealing
clothing so that would be like I guess
short shorts skirts tight dresses
cleavage baring tops something like that
and I knew that if I walk down the
stairs my peers have sent me right back
up to change and I use don’t understand
why when I was younger it was what
everyone was wearing it was comfortable
it was cute was trendy
all my friends wore it but after that
incident I finally understood why they
didn’t let me wear it because they knew
as soon as I stepped out that door I
stepped into a public space with people
they knew that people’s attention would
automatically gravitate towards as I
said earlier the sexy parts of me my
breasts
the curves of my body my bottom and they
knew they would they would hone on those
parts and would bring attention to it
and they knew that I would be sexualized
sadly this is an issue everywhere
anywhere in a woman’s life take going to
the mall is buying clothes you look on
the walls of the mall walls at the store
and you see these huge posters of women
they’re advertising the clothes but on
these posters there’s so much more on
these posters you can see oftentimes the
same thing I said earlier clothes that
emphasize the body emphasize the
cleavage emphasize the sexy parts of her
essentially of sexualizing her you go
look at magazines you’re gonna cover the
same things happening they’re not work
except they’re not really wearing that
much clothes emphasizing the skin how
much skin they’re showing on the cover
of these magazines it says things like
10 tips look sexier 10 tips to make a
guy wants you they’re putting this
pressure there pretty much standard on
you a sander is saying this is what you
should look like this is how you should
present yourself this is what we want
you to look like that’s what we’re
giving you tips even car shows they’re
just selling cars but oftentimes in
these shows they have this model
standing next to it she’s posing she
oftentimes is not wearing a lot of
clothing and they’re pretty much
exploiting the female form and we’re
market these products
it can even happen on social media when
you see the girls with the most likes
the most followers those comments the
most praise oftentimes you see their
posts involved I’m showing off their
body in some way showing skin showing
the sexy parts of them and then these
young girls these young girls who are in
this age of digital media social media
and these young girls who often are
battling insecurities about themselves
and what they look like
Vallely insecurities on meeting these
standards that people set on them they
see these women that seem to have what
they want these followers these likes
this acceptance by society they see this
and they’re like maybe if I post
something like that if I post something
that shows off me a little more maybe
I’ll get the attention they have maybe
I’ll get the more likes they have and
maybe I’ll be happier with myself even
in a woman’s daily life can you see this
issue it’s not uncommon for a woman to
hear comments like hey I think you
should lose a little weight because if
you lose a little weight you look more
appealing or hey I think you should wear
a little more makeup because if you wore
a little more makeup you look a little
more presentable or hey maybe you should
start smiling a little more because you
know if you smell a little more me but
would like you and people would want to
talk to you essentially what this is is
people putting their standards on you
their standards of how a woman should
look a centers of what an appealing
woman society would look like
let’s
and it puts pressure on these woman to
meet these standards to to I guess
eat them and fulfill them
what we must do order to change this as
us to change our behavior these what we
deem is acceptable behavior we must stop
this time we need to stop having
advertisers pictures sexualized women in
such a way they said uncle emphasizes
the parts they’re doing sexy as I said
earlier we market clothing for what it
is just clothing we don’t need to put
them places where they shouldn’t be
they shouldn’t be or don’t need to be we
need to stop need to condone behavior
from people judging people’s like
judging people’s appearance condoning
the behavior that’s say it’s not okay to
make comments like that because in the
end a woman should be allowed to wear
what she wants express or helps herself
how however she wants and not had this
pressure to look a certain way because
everyone tells her to we must encourage
a woman while they grow up while they
face these insecurities growing up as a
teenager or even younger we encouraged
them to look into themselves find
themselves understand what they want to
be and allow them to express themselves
through their physical appearance now
forcing them conform now forcing them to
not pressuring them to look this sexy
maybe thinking why I don’t do that
like I don’t can’t call people I don’t
say things like that to woman and that’s
good I’m proud that you don’t do that
but the issue is not you the issue the
people who do do that and it is
everyone’s responsibility to hold these
people who think it’s okay to act like
that accountable for their actions
because if we don’t society is going to
keep going down this path for a woman
and be more and more sexualized and
objectified in media and everywhere in
life thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
called it was the summer after junior
year and I had just spent the day with
my friends shopping and eating at
downtown Durham and we were heading back
so we were heading back to her school so
we were getting on a bus there and I was
the last person to walk up the bus with
my friends and as I walked up the bus
I remember hearing this distinct whistle
this kind of very typical cat call
whistle and I remember my heart dropping
in my chest because for the first time I
felt like a piece of meat this piece of
meat that was on display for everyone to
see and judge and look at because that
clock collar you put all this attention
on the parts of me that are often deemed
sexy or sexual I felt like nothing more
than a nice rack or nice ass I felt
almost violated growing up I wasn’t
really allowed to wear I guess revealing
clothing so that would be like I guess
short shorts skirts tight dresses
cleavage baring tops something like that
and I knew that if I walk down the
stairs my peers have sent me right back
up to change and I use don’t understand
why when I was younger it was what
everyone was wearing it was comfortable
it was cute was trendy
all my friends wore it but after that
incident I finally understood why they
didn’t let me wear it because they knew
as soon as I stepped out that door I
stepped into a public space with people
they knew that people’s attention would
automatically gravitate towards as I
said earlier the sexy parts of me my
breasts
the curves of my body my bottom and they
knew they would they would hone on those
parts and would bring attention to it
and they knew that I would be sexualized
sadly this is an issue everywhere
anywhere in a woman’s life take going to
the mall is buying clothes you look on
the walls of the mall walls at the store
and you see these huge posters of women
they’re advertising the clothes but on
these posters there’s so much more on
these posters you can see oftentimes the
same thing I said earlier clothes that
emphasize the body emphasize the
cleavage emphasize the sexy parts of her
essentially of sexualizing her you go
look at magazines you’re gonna cover the
same things happening they’re not work
except they’re not really wearing that
much clothes emphasizing the skin how
much skin they’re showing on the cover
of these magazines it says things like
10 tips look sexier 10 tips to make a
guy wants you they’re putting this
pressure there pretty much standard on
you a sander is saying this is what you
should look like this is how you should
present yourself this is what we want
you to look like that’s what we’re
giving you tips even car shows they’re
just selling cars but oftentimes in
these shows they have this model
standing next to it she’s posing she
oftentimes is not wearing a lot of
clothing and they’re pretty much
exploiting the female form and we’re
market these products
it can even happen on social media when
you see the girls with the most likes
the most followers those comments the
most praise oftentimes you see their
posts involved I’m showing off their
body in some way showing skin showing
the sexy parts of them and then these
young girls these young girls who are in
this age of digital media social media
and these young girls who often are
battling insecurities about themselves
and what they look like
Vallely insecurities on meeting these
standards that people set on them they
see these women that seem to have what
they want these followers these likes
this acceptance by society they see this
and they’re like maybe if I post
something like that if I post something
that shows off me a little more maybe
I’ll get the attention they have maybe
I’ll get the more likes they have and
maybe I’ll be happier with myself even
in a woman’s daily life can you see this
issue it’s not uncommon for a woman to
hear comments like hey I think you
should lose a little weight because if
you lose a little weight you look more
appealing or hey I think you should wear
a little more makeup because if you wore
a little more makeup you look a little
more presentable or hey maybe you should
start smiling a little more because you
know if you smell a little more me but
would like you and people would want to
talk to you essentially what this is is
people putting their standards on you
their standards of how a woman should
look a centers of what an appealing
woman society would look like
let’s
and it puts pressure on these woman to
meet these standards to to I guess
eat them and fulfill them
what we must do order to change this as
us to change our behavior these what we
deem is acceptable behavior we must stop
this time we need to stop having
advertisers pictures sexualized women in
such a way they said uncle emphasizes
the parts they’re doing sexy as I said
earlier we market clothing for what it
is just clothing we don’t need to put
them places where they shouldn’t be
they shouldn’t be or don’t need to be we
need to stop need to condone behavior
from people judging people’s like
judging people’s appearance condoning
the behavior that’s say it’s not okay to
make comments like that because in the
end a woman should be allowed to wear
what she wants express or helps herself
how however she wants and not had this
pressure to look a certain way because
everyone tells her to we must encourage
a woman while they grow up while they
face these insecurities growing up as a
teenager or even younger we encouraged
them to look into themselves find
themselves understand what they want to
be and allow them to express themselves
through their physical appearance now
forcing them conform now forcing them to
not pressuring them to look this sexy
maybe thinking why I don’t do that
like I don’t can’t call people I don’t
say things like that to woman and that’s
good I’m proud that you don’t do that
but the issue is not you the issue the
people who do do that and it is
everyone’s responsibility to hold these
people who think it’s okay to act like
that accountable for their actions
because if we don’t society is going to
keep going down this path for a woman
and be more and more sexualized and
objectified in media and everywhere in
life thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
Please follow and like us: