Over the course of time, women’s role in society has very much changed. Women were generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways: modestly, appropriately, and politely. Women could not wear dresses that were considered by men to be too short or too revealing. As time has passed, women have come to dress completely opposite of what we were told we could wear. 

In 2021, it’s harder for women to fit in with society’s standards than it was in the past. It is clear that we are not given the same rights and status as men. Most women today live in fear of human trafficking, sexual assault, rape/abuse, and body image issues. As women, we should not be having to deal with any of these problems. 

 When women go out wearing clothes that are fitted to their bodies or show some cleavage, there are high chances they will get cat-called. Some people claim women show cleavage because they desire attention from a man, that they do so in order to feel beautiful and confident about themselves. But I don’t believe women show cleavage because they want attention from men. We wear what we wear because we are proud of ourselves and be able to show how confident we are.

But women also get treated differently. If a woman is who is plus-size wears fitted clothing, they get told they should not wear that kind of clothing. But someone thin doesn’t get told that, in fact, they would probably get cat-called for wearing such an outfit. When we are seen wearing clothing others consider to be too revealing, we get told ”not to dress like you’re asking for it”, but when we dress in loose clothing we get told, “to dress more feminine and don’t be afraid to show skin.” Constantly being judged for our choices is not right, and most of the time you hear these things coming out of men’s mouths. We shouldn’t be told to dress by other people’s preferences– especially by men. We don’t and shouldn’t dress to impress anyone but ourselves.