What I Value

             image source: http://roseaposey.tumblr.com/post/39795409283/judgments




When we frame or value all men or women as being someone’s wife/girlfriend (husband/boyfriend), mother/father or daughter/son, what are we teaching the youth? 

We're teaching them that in order to have the law, world, society or anyone on their side, they need to be loved by men or women. That they need to make themselves beautiful or sexy or even desirable to everyone in order to be worthy of protection. That their lives and their bodily integrity are value-less except for how they relate to the people they know. That they need to do these body modifications or slap on a load of makeup or skin care or do these diets for others and not for themselves if they wanted.

Truth is that I am someone’s girlfriend. In the future I will be someone’s mother. I am someone’s daughter, and someone’s sister. Those are not the things that define me, or make me valuable in this world though. Those are not the reasons that I should be able to live a life free from rape, sexual assault or any kind of violent crime.

I have value because I am a person. Full stop. End of argument. This isn’t even a discussion that we should be having. 

So please, let’s start teaching that fact to the young women and men in our lives. Teach them that you love, honour and value them because of who they are, not what they do. Teach them that they should expect to be treated with integrity because it’s a basic human right. Teach them that they do not deserve to be raped because no one ever, ever, ever deserves to be raped. But most especially, teach them that they are people too.

Stay sassy,

-Moonsy