Double Standards

“When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.” – Bette Davis.

 In today’s society, there are a multitude of double standards for women. According to Merriam Webster, a double standard can be defined as “a set of principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to one group of people or circumstances than to another.” Not only does this idea apply at home with women typically acting as stay-at-home mothers and the husbands being the “bread- winners” of the family, but this type of philosophy can also be applied to the business world.

In any type of business, it is hard for women to be respected. In an interview on Chelsea Lately with rapper Nicki Minaj, Minaj discussed double standards in the music industry. She said that when she is with her fans, she acts all nice and “cutesy” with them because that is the way that they make her feel. However, Minaj says “I think people expect me to be like that I business and I can’t be like that as a business woman because no one would respect me.” Minaj then goes on saying that when she tries to assert herself at work and demands respect when she gets disrespected, she gets called a bitch. However, if a man asserts himself at work and demands respect, he is considered a boss and admired for his insistence. Not only is this present in the music industry, but also in politics. Hillary Clinton was greatly criticized for sheading some tears during her campaign. Many people thought this was just a tactic to win pity votes, proving that Hillary is not a strong presidential candidate. This is all because she is a woman, and women act differently than men. Hillary is quoted saying, “If you get too emotional, that undercuts you. A man can cry; we know that. Lots of our leaders have cried. But a woman, it’s a different kind of dynamic.” If Barack Obama or another male candidate during this time would have cried, he would have been thought of deep and caring. Hillary was seen as weak and immediately discarded as a candidate by many citizens. In both cases, it seems like a lose-lose situation for women because no matter how they act, they will be judged.

I do agree that women have to dial down their emotions and act the part of a man in order to be respected in the real world. Women who are too emotional will not get taken seriously, which is completely unfair. However, women who assert themselves will get a bad reputation. Women seem to be inferior to men just because they express themselves differently. Even since the beginning of time, men seem to have an air of superciliousness. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, once the father of a family passed away, the land would be inherited by the oldest son. The oldest daughter would receive nothing, and if the father had no sons and only daughters, the land may not even stay in the family. Daughters at this time were seen as property to be married off and become property of their husbands. If a woman has to act like a man in order to be respected, then it takes away from her femininity and true self. Some men should be disrespected for thrusting this idea onto society and following through with it.