From the beginning of time, women's well-being and accomplishments have been pushed to the back burner in favor of men's. From Olympic headlines, to the most extreme cases, aka rape accusations, men have been the favored party. So, in light of these misfortunes towards us ladies, I vow, as a journalist, to more than half of the world's population that I will advocate for women, always.
If we're talking about rape, I recently read an article that brought up a good point; when you take the perpetrator out of a headline, its as if the misdemeanor committed itself, or was prompted by something the victim did. When any media outlet takes people like Brock Turner out of the headline, the blame falls on the undeserving victim, in this case, the brave young woman he took advantage of. Male bias happens on the opposite side of the spectrum as well. Take this year's Rio Olympics for example; Michael Phelps ties with his rivals for silver, and Katie Ledecky sets the world record in women's 800 freestyle, yet the text about Phelps' achievement overshadows Ledecky's secondary headline. There's something very wrong with the way women are presented in both articles, but I vow to make our gender proud because we deserve it.
I've unofficially changed my major 3 times before settling on one: theatre, history, language. All seemed thrilling but left little room for impacting change, until I found Journalism. Thanks to my favorite teacher (what's good, Mr. J?), I stuck with a profession that mirrored my young heart: ambitious, risky, and tenacious. When I started my blog in November of 2015, impacting others was just a dream. I wrote because it was what I knew I was best at. History and Language called for skillful memorization and although I had that, it never surpassed my ability to find just the right word to make a sentence flow. I found my voice after writing about feeling lost and stagnant during teenage years. The feedback I got fueled my creative juices, and I finally knew that using my writing as a tool or weapon to help others similar to me was exactly what I needed to do to achieve my dream. So here we are, its 2016, the presidential campaigns are in full swing complete with Clinton and Trump throwing jabs every which way (don't you love biased headline season!), the summer Olympics are coming to end, and I have found a cause that needs to be brought to attention: bringing an end to the slandering of powerful women like Hillary Clinton, and the lack of acknowledgment of trailblazing teens overcoming boundaries and struggles like the women of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
As a fellow woman, I vow to report on woman's achievements. I want women like Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel to shine just as bright as Michael Phelps and Jonathan Schooling in the media. As a fellow woman, I will not allow faces of rapists, like Brock Turner's, to be plastered under headlines praising their academic achievements and accomplishments, while forgetting to mention their flawed morals and values.
As a fellow feminist, I vow to never overshadow man's achievements as they have done to us, but I will praise and recognize women when they show true ranking in their fields. Their names will not be a secondary headline, but a bold header mirroring their resilient courage, strength, and drive in six very short words that describe their never-ending fight to succeed.
Journalism is ever-changing, its accepting, it shows no boundaries. So why must we act like displaying love for our ladies won't get us as many shares, likes, or page visits on social media? Women are just as strong as men; we don't falter when we cannot seem to win, we work just as long and just as hard as our male counterparts, and so we deserve to be treated as so. I have yet to meet a weak woman; what we lack in one strength, we make up for in another. We are not sure who the next president will be, or what doctor will cure cancer, so why count females out of those fights? Nobody is predestined for greatness, so why tell women they can't be president, or make them feel like dedicating their life to their career/research is wrong?
I want to see Simone Biles and Aly Raisman on the front page of my local newspaper for a change. I want to see Brock Turner get what he deserves, which, if you couldn't tell, ISN'T a news headline about his successful swim career and slap on the wrist for raping an unconscious girl. I want newspapers to honor Simone Manuel's achievement the same way they honor Phelps' 23 Olympic medals.
So, as I venture into the many obstacles I will face as a female journalist, I will not only write about what women are about, I will also show what women are about. I will be fearless, I will not allow myself to be talked down to, I will write in favor of our badassness, and I will fight the injustice and bias that we have been subjected to. I will not disappoint you. I vow to make you all proud.
Yours truly,
A Fellow Female
