Trump's Comments on Women Ironically Overshadow "Day of the Girl"
This October 11th, we celebrated the UN's International Day of the Girl Child, but the media was too distracted by Donald Trump being sexist to really acknowledge this youth-led movement to end sexism. The irony is palpable in this most recent display of women's rights and the lack thereof.
On October 8, the Washington Post released an article about how "Donald Trump bragged in vulgar terms about kissing, groping, and trying to have sex with women during a 2005 conversation." Trump goes on to talk about how he can do anything because he is a 'star', which apparently includes "grabbing women by the pussy." Many women — including Hillary Clinton — were not as amused as he was.
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The problem so many women had with this remark is not with the word "pussy" but with the word "grab." This phrasing suggests that Trump has the mindset that he can do whatever he wants to women, with or without their consent because he is rich. Sadly, he is not the only American to have that mindset. He is, however, the only one in the running for president.
While the media was busy having a field day over Trump's most recent slip-up, only a couple of articles on The Guardian recognized the Day of the Girl on October 11. It promotes girl's rights and gender equality so that generations to come won't have to grow up with such a large gap between men and women. It's harder to recognize the issues women face when living in a first-world country, but that's why this movement exists. Instead of encouraging ignorance, the UN wants to acknowledge the gender gaps and try to change them in favor of equality.
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Though the bigger issues are in countries other than the United States, the US came in 32 out of 60 on the Girls' Opportunity Index, which shows the countries that provide the most opportunities for girls. The US has the world's largest economy, but not the world's largest support system for women. The irony falls into play around now because there was a lot of outrage in the US over Donald Trump being sexist, but it happened almost at the exact same time as the Day of the Girl. Instead of shouting opinions at others, people could have been actively trying to reduce the sexism in the world.
Is Trump the kind of man we really want to be running one of the most powerful countries in the world? A man who disrespects anyone who isn't a rich, white man like himself? As a woman, I'd like to keep my rights, and maybe even get some more. This requires Donald Trump NOT getting elected.
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