OPINION
csceagle.com | The Eagle | APRIL 6, 2017
struggle
The
6
Jordyn Hulinsky
is real
The self-respect struggle
Managing Editor Man, the struggle is real… It’s a real struggle to be a girl. Now before you put this paper down because this is going to be one of those articles about girls whining about how weak we are and how our lives are so rough, give me a chance to explain. I am not like most girls. The only times I wore dresses growing up were in the Thanksgiving feast day we celebrated in fifth grade, when I was forced to wear a skirt, and for proms—my junior and senior years of high school. I did not wear makeup until the summer after my freshman year of college. I was never into the latest fashion and I
preferred to create my own fashion… if you can call it that (insert shudder at memories). My dad, mom, and brother were almost constantly telling me to go change because I didn’t match, or I looked like a dufus, or some kind of variation of how they were embarrassed to be seen with me dressed in the way I was dressed. But there was one thing my family members never had to say to me and that was,
“You are dressed inappropriately; go put more clothes on.” I cannot count how many times I have listened to people, and girls especially, complain about how the media portrays women, about how the media makes women into objects, and I cannot say I disagree with those women. But, the hypocrisy is what really rubs me the wrong way. These same women who bash the media for making women into objects are the women who are dressing with minimal clothing and with too much skin showing. Now, before y’all start whining and moaning, no I do not think women have to cover themselves head to toe, and I do not think women are the ones to blame for the issues we have in this world with sex and sexual violence, but I do not think dressing in that manner helps fix the problem.
There’s certainly a struggle to fight the status quo and to dress modestly in all situations, but it can be done, and should be done if we want to change the way women are viewed in the world. If we do not buy the skimpy, scandalous clothing, the fashion industry will eventually change or they simply will not make any money. If we start dressing like we respect ourselves and we keep “our girl parts covered” as my mom says, modesty will soon become the norm. So, make the change. Respect yourself, and stop dressing like you don’t respect yourself or your family. The struggle is definitely real, but so is chocolate, so just eat it and stop stressing about the dang calories and how you will look in the clothes.
Do something beautiful in your own way Afton Burns Reporter Wake up in the morning and tell yourself it’s a beautiful day, because every day really is beautiful. Life is beautiful, even amid the ugly. And sometimes it takes a lot of perseverance to really find beauty in every day to-do lists, deadlines, chores, and duties. It’s hard to train ourselves to see the beauty in the world and in each other sometimes, but we need to keep going. Every day, do something beautiful. It doesn’t have to be extravagant; you can do it in your own way, just do it. Here are three reasons why: 1. Have you ever heard that thing about “you are what you eat?” Well, this
is sort of the same thing. You become what you do. Beautiful people do beautiful things. I know so many beautiful people, and I know their beauty not by their looks, but rather by their actions. They are the givers, not the takers. They listen, do things without expecting anything in return, they are my motivators, they’re unexpectedly nice, they leave you feeling good, and they know how to push past failures. When they succeed I know that everyone surrounded by them will succeed. Be that person to motivate others to succeed. 2. When you do beautiful things, you become happier. Beautiful things make people happy. Doing nice things for others, and for yourself really does make a difference in a person’s day. And I don’t know about you, but I like being around
happy people the most. So, do something beautiful for your own happiness and for other people’s happiness. 3. When you do beautiful things like opening the door for someone else, or writing an appreciation letter to your employee, you send a message to those around you. In this moment, you have the power to influence and make a difference for others. People love it when they know someone else is willing to help them, or even just knowing that someone appreciates what they do. Those that benefit from the beautiful things you do are being influenced to do the same thing for someone else, so the cycle of doing beautiful things for others continues. I know we get busy and think we
don’t have time to do beautiful things, but it’s actually easier than you think. I want to help you get started on doing beautiful things, if you aren’t already! Today, write down a list of things that someone else has done for you that were beautiful. Maybe it was a smile from a stranger on your way to class, or maybe you dropped your textbook and someone else picked it up for you because your hands were full. After you complete your list of beautiful things that people have done for you, pay it forward. Make it your goal to do those beautiful things for someone else. Start by doing one thing every day and it will become a habit. And when you do these things, you’ll be making a beautiful mark on the world!