This is for my common app essay. I am thinking either the prompt "Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you." or "Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you. " This is my first post so I would greatly appreciate any comments: what should i leave out, what do i need to add, the overall impression, is it too long? Thank you so much :D
I consider myself a feminist. When I first tell people this the first question I usually get in response is, "What are you fighting for?" I can understand why many might wonder this. Our society today has changed significantly from the years of women's suffrage of the early 1900's. Women are now equal to men in education, the workplace, the domestic sphere, and in fact, increasing numbers of women are surpassing men in the professional fields. Sexism is dead, people say, and feminism is useless.
Recently, as part of a summer program, I visited Morgan Stanley, one of the world's most prestigious investment banks. To ensure professionalism in the workplace, the bank has a very strict dress code of business formal attire for all employees and visitors. Following the rules, I decided on a complete suit with pants, dress shirt, and blazer. Other girls opted for the skirt and blouse ensemble, complete with a casual blazer. The boys were of course in full business suits, a factor that they apparently thought made them better than the girls.
During the visit, as we were dividing into groups and preparing to start a business meeting simulation, one of the guys remarked, "Having girls in our group makes it look little lacking. Look at that group of all guys. The suits, the ties, the dress shoes - they all look so professional and intense. All the girls in their skirts and heels just don't seem to measure up." Other guys who overheard him nodded their agreement. Immediately, my feminist instincts were on guard.
This was indirect sexism, when people make judgments of women based on gender roles and double standards. They may not explicitly say the sexist comments, but in their actions and casual remarks, the prejudice comes through. Our country is built on the idea of equality between races and genders. Yet there are still people out there, young teenage boys who have grown up in a modern world of equality, who believe that men are better than women just because looks. Those boys saw themselves as more capable, more intelligent, and more prepared just because they wore suits. When I wore a suit, suddenly it became a big deal. Suddenly I was trying to be a "man", trying to be better than the rest of them, trying to be part of something that I didn't belong. In addition, I was called scary, intimidating, bossy, and even demanding, traits that would be valued in guys, yet became demeaning when applied to girls.
Those boys also assumed that girls would slow down the group, would get in the way of making important decisions, and would ultimately lead the group to lose money, just because the girls were not in suits. This was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. No girl should be judged on her capability just because of the way she dressed. All the girls that day were on the exact same level as those guys because we knew just as much as they did and we came into that business simulation just as prepared with our research as they were. The way we dressed, whether it was a suit for me or skirts for other girls, had nothing to do with our ability to execute and do our work.
I'm sure, looking back now, those boys weren't even aware of what they said. To them, it was a passing comment, a mere observation based on what they've been taught and seen. Yet one little comment is all it takes to plant a thought in a person's mind, spreading the intolerance farther. One little comment was all it took to remind me that sexism is still very much alive and that I had something left to fight for.
(625 words) is this too long?
I consider myself a feminist. When I first tell people this the first question I usually get in response is, "What are you fighting for?" I can understand why many might wonder this. Our society today has changed significantly from the years of women's suffrage of the early 1900's. Women are now equal to men in education, the workplace, the domestic sphere, and in fact, increasing numbers of women are surpassing men in the professional fields. Sexism is dead, people say, and feminism is useless.
Recently, as part of a summer program, I visited Morgan Stanley, one of the world's most prestigious investment banks. To ensure professionalism in the workplace, the bank has a very strict dress code of business formal attire for all employees and visitors. Following the rules, I decided on a complete suit with pants, dress shirt, and blazer. Other girls opted for the skirt and blouse ensemble, complete with a casual blazer. The boys were of course in full business suits, a factor that they apparently thought made them better than the girls.
During the visit, as we were dividing into groups and preparing to start a business meeting simulation, one of the guys remarked, "Having girls in our group makes it look little lacking. Look at that group of all guys. The suits, the ties, the dress shoes - they all look so professional and intense. All the girls in their skirts and heels just don't seem to measure up." Other guys who overheard him nodded their agreement. Immediately, my feminist instincts were on guard.
This was indirect sexism, when people make judgments of women based on gender roles and double standards. They may not explicitly say the sexist comments, but in their actions and casual remarks, the prejudice comes through. Our country is built on the idea of equality between races and genders. Yet there are still people out there, young teenage boys who have grown up in a modern world of equality, who believe that men are better than women just because looks. Those boys saw themselves as more capable, more intelligent, and more prepared just because they wore suits. When I wore a suit, suddenly it became a big deal. Suddenly I was trying to be a "man", trying to be better than the rest of them, trying to be part of something that I didn't belong. In addition, I was called scary, intimidating, bossy, and even demanding, traits that would be valued in guys, yet became demeaning when applied to girls.
Those boys also assumed that girls would slow down the group, would get in the way of making important decisions, and would ultimately lead the group to lose money, just because the girls were not in suits. This was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. No girl should be judged on her capability just because of the way she dressed. All the girls that day were on the exact same level as those guys because we knew just as much as they did and we came into that business simulation just as prepared with our research as they were. The way we dressed, whether it was a suit for me or skirts for other girls, had nothing to do with our ability to execute and do our work.
I'm sure, looking back now, those boys weren't even aware of what they said. To them, it was a passing comment, a mere observation based on what they've been taught and seen. Yet one little comment is all it takes to plant a thought in a person's mind, spreading the intolerance farther. One little comment was all it took to remind me that sexism is still very much alive and that I had something left to fight for.
(625 words) is this too long?