LJ Idol Presents Week 1

[bittyjane]

On the first day of kindergarten, Jack pushes Angela down on the playground at recess after lunch. While she’s crying in the nurse’s office getting scraped knees and palms bandaged, Jack gets to go back to class and practice writing his name. After school, their teacher catches Jack’s mom in the doorway as Jack gets his backpack. She tells her what happened, finishing with “It sounds like someone has a bit of a crush,” and the two share a chuckle. The grass stain on the front of Angela’s dress never comes clean.

In the middle of July between third and fourth grade, Marisol is playing tag in the front yard with some of the neighborhood kids. The sprinkler is on and they are a drenched horde of suntanned limbs, ball caps, and carefree laughter. Her dad and her uncle are sitting on the front porch drinking lemonade and her uncle says, “Don’t you think Mari’s shorts are a little too short?”

During math class in eighth grade, Alejandro, sitting behind Sophie, reaches across his desk and snaps her bra strap. She tells him to stop and is shushed by the teacher. He does it again and she turns in her seat to yell at him. She is sent out into the hallway for the rest of the period for disrupting class. While in the lunch line, he walks up behind her and does it again. She punches him in the face and is sent home on a three-day suspension. When her parents explain the situation to the principal, they receive a form apology letter. Alejandro is never reprimanded and his black eye fades faster than Sophie’s sense of injustice.

A group of boys on the basketball team all show up to history class in muscle shirts with the arm holes torn down the side. The history teacher makes Desiree wear an old football jersey over her wide-strapped tank top because “the dress code states that students must be covered from shoulder to mid-thigh.” He also chides her in front of the class for taking up his valuable class time.

Rumor gets out that Leticia gave Stephen a blow job after their junior prom. She goes to school Monday morning to find “WHORE” spray-painted on her locker in large, red letters. At the other end of the hall, Stephen gets a high five from a senior he’s never spoken to before.

During a lecture on privilege in an Intercultural Communications class at the university, the professor asks the male students what they do on a regular basis to avoid being sexually assaulted. There is silence, then a voice says from the back of the classroom, “Not go to jail.” The class laughs, but no other suggestions are made. The professor asks the female students the same question and they compile a list. Don’t go running or walking at night. Don’t park in underground parking garages. Don’t drink too much at parties. Don’t leave your drink unattended. Don’t wear clothing that’s too revealing. Don’t rent a first-floor apartment. Always have a public first date. Always carry your cell phone. Always lock your doors and windows.

Last Tuesday, I took my seven-month old to breakfast with me. The gentleman at the table next to me commented as he was leaving how well behaved my son was. When I pulled back the grey blanket to reveal her blue flowery dress, he told me instead how beautiful she was.

Comments

[bleodswean]

Excellent.

[bittyjane]

Thank you!

[tatdatcm]

Well done. You've really conveyed your point with the examples you've chosen to share.

[bittyjane]

Thanks!

[reidharriscooper]

Powerfully written.

[bittyjane]

Thank you!

[rayaso]

I loved the point/counterpoint way that you structured this, in addition to overall point you are making. It is much more effective than an essay on this subject.

[bittyjane]

Thanks.

[meridian_rose]

Oh yes this.

[thephantomq]

Ugh. Just. Ugh.

The fact we all know that this is all so very true is just.. yeah.

[adoptedwriter]

Ohhh Snap! This really drives home the point in a most artful way! Incidentally, I had some old dude once make a similar comment about my baby in a restaurant. He said, "I liked him so much I thought he was a boy" after I corrected his gender observation error. #stupidoldgeezer

[dmousey]

What an excellent piece. Shows to perfection the double standard. ✌💜😊

[the_eternal_overthinker]

Wow! And How! Very Very Well written piece and it needs to be shared many times over <3 Thanks for writing this. Kudos!

[bellatrixe]

The structure of this is perfect!

[bewize]

Ugh. That ending. Breaks my heart.

[troof_therry]

Whew that last paragraph is really phenomenal. The whole delivery is super effective. Well done.

[sonreir]

That last paragraph is heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing.

[megatronix]

This is really well done. I love the line about Sophie's sense of injustice.

The ending especially makes my blood boil. It's a long fight, lifelong. But we'll never give up.

Excellent work!

[bittyjane]

Thank you.

[murielle]

Brava!

Well done! Well written!

Brava!

[bittyjane]

Thank you.

[moretta]

Yes. This. Exactly this. I am so angry.

[bittyjane]

There are so many quotes out there about how damaging anger is, but we should be angry about this. Angry people change the world.

[moretta]

New life motto there: angry people change the world.

[favoritebean_writes]

This resonates so much with me. Every single short snippet. We really need to change the dialogue with gender behavior. Nicely done.

[bittyjane]

Thank you. It’s sad to me to see so many comments about females relating to this. But I’m not really surprised.

[nayanawrites]

This was powerful and hit just where it is meant to. We really need to change the way we communicate with the gender. It would take a whole lot of such powerful writing to make that drastic change in mindset and the way we respond. But I chose to be hopeful. I hope for change ....

Good use of the prompt.

[bittyjane]

Thank you.

[encrefloue]

The first paragraph already had my skin crawling. The last was perfectly crafted, giving us a haunting kind of non-closure as the damnable cycle continues. So glad you took the prompt here. Wonderfully executed.

[bittyjane]

Thank you. I’m worried for the double standards and injustices that my daughter will face growing up. Something needs to change.

[halfshellvenus]

Fantastic, start to finish.

And yes, I know all of those women's rules all too well. Carrying my keys splayed through my fingers in dark, worrisome places and sporting pepper spray when exercising outdoors are on there too. :(

[bittyjane]

It’s terrible that these are things we need to know.

[flipflop_diva]

This makes me so angry. And sad. I'm going to have a daughter in six weeks, and I'm so scared for her already.

But this was really powerful and really well written. Great job!

[bittyjane]

Congrats! I have a son who’s almost 5 and my daughter. Raising each presents it’s own set of worries and stresses. It is, honestly, terrifying sometimes. Worth it, though. Totally worth it. :)

[alycewilson]

I wish these were unique experiences, but I know how prevalent they are. My goal is to teach my son to be a more compassionate person who treats women fairly.

[alycewilson]

I wish that so many of their vignettes didn't sound familiar. Wouldn't it be powerful to collect a whole series of such stories from different women?