Trump’s presidency proves sexism is alive and well

For the last year, I’ve been told by countless friends and family that feminism is dead and sexism doesn’t exist. They’ve undermined everything I stand for and told me that I’m ungrateful for complaining when I was so privileged.

This summer when I told my friends from home that I was going to be writing for a feminist site, they laughed at me. As we were sitting on the beach, they playfully threw sand at me and replied, “Oh yeah, because you know all about oppression little Miss Privileged.”

 What my friends failed to understand that day and what many people fail to recognize now is that being a feminist isn’t just about worrying about my own self-worth being at stake, it’s about worrying about equality for every race of women, and with Trump as our president, respect for women is in danger.

I know people think that the reactions to this election have been overdramatic, but how are women supposed to react when all the progress we thought we made in the last few months has proved to be not enough? I respect my President no matter who they are, but what I can’t respect is the way America has reacted to this man. I cannot speak for Trump’s presidency but I can speak for his campaign, which revealed utter disrespect for women.

Trump called Clinton a “nasty woman” on national television. Whether he meant it as sexist or not, the reaction that America has had to comments like this one, is sexist and dangerous to women everywhere. Since Trump’s presidency has been announced, I’ve seen countless posts on social media from people whom I’m friends with, that have revealed a sexism within them that I never even knew existed. They’ve called Clinton a “dumb bitch” and declared that they can proudly “grab women by the pussy” now that Trump is president. College women have every right to be scared because as if men’s sense of entitlement wasn’t already enough, it’s now been validated by, surprise, a white old male. Catcalling may turn into something far more ominous than just a demeaning gesture and women are the ones with the power to exploit it. College campuses are rife with sexual assault, so yes, women are scared and even angry about the outcome of this election.

We need to make the decision to not accept this behavior. Don’t only speak up for yourself. Speak up for all the Muslims in this nation who are now scared to wear their hijabs. Speak up for all of the women who walk home late at night from work alone and are sexually harassed. Speak up for every sexual assault victim. Don’t let this nation tell you that sexism does not exist. Turn on the television and see the media coverage on Hillary Clinton. The rhetoric itself is sexist. She is not a bitch and Melania Trump is not a whore either. This coverage of the election has perpetuated a society where men are better and women are now paying the consequences. Women have the power to unveil the mask we’ve all been wearing that says equality has been achieved.

 Be angry at the citizens who have decided to turn this presidency into an excuse for misogyny. If you care about humans, then you should care about how about half of them are scared that their bodies will be violated and have been violated for years. Young women have been let down and are being harassed for being disappointed about it. A man with authority who preaches sexism is a man who has abused his power. Women have to face the consequences of this man’s ignorant words, not men.

Feminism is not dead and neither are the women willing to fight for it.