澳门六合彩

Qingyin Guan (Stella), a student at EF Academy New York, writes about how her future can be something her ancestors could never have dreamed of....

My grandma once told me, when she was about my age, her dream of being a doctor was mocked. "How could a female possibly become a doctor, you mean nurse right?" That鈥檚 why she gave up on her dream and became a teacher instead.

My aunt once told me, when she was still young, her brothers always received the bigger candies from their neighbors. Her memory of candy was the sweet taste, but the bitterness of a boy emanating with pride because he was rewarded merely for his gender.

When I was ten, my father told me that I can be whoever I wanted to be, as long as I tried my best. Here I am today, sleeplessly awaiting my 16th birthday. Over a hundred years ago, to be 16 years old in China meant that you needed to find yourself a family and have your own business. However, my future is still open. Can I be a psychologist? Or, should I strive for another career that could earn me more money and respect? The feminist in me ponders these questions and simultaneously pushes me to be ambitious.

Feminists typically advocate or support the rights and equality of women. However, nowadays, people sometimes deem it as a derogatory term: she is a man-hating amazon, or is a leader of a female dictatorship. We are not trying to take over the world; simply, we are trying to achieve equality, which is not yet in our grasp. As the famed writer of "The Yellow Wallpaper". Charlotte Perkins Gilman, once said, 鈥淭here is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex, might as well speak of a female liver.鈥� If what we said has to wear a 鈥済ender hat,鈥� there is no need for us to talk about equality anymore. Equality means balance, if one side always wears an extra hat that is put by the other side, the balance would always lean to one side becausee of the hat.

I am afraid because I am about to take full responsibility for my life. Also, I am closer to becoming a woman. I am scared of the fact that one day I might not become the woman I鈥檝e aspired to be. I remember people telling me that women just couldn鈥檛 become great psychologists because women are always too emotional, but being emotional is necessary for a wife or a mom, so our gender could thrive in these roles. While one can take pride in being a good wife and a careful mom that is absolutely not what, who, I want to be. A Chinese proverb contends that innocence is the virtue of women, not having a lot of knowledge but being a housewife is the right for an ancient chinese woman. However, in today鈥檚 China, women have a more challenging role to fill. They are not expected to be smarter than their husband, but they must not be too ignorant, otherwise they will bring shame on their family. Women surely earn more respect now than in ancient China, but it鈥檚 also harder for us to achieve equality.

The process of women getting equal rights is a perpetual battle. At the beginning of the 20th century, women in Britain, for the first time put down their pots and pans, went to streets and fought for their right to vote. Men believed that the reason for women doing a such thing was because they were spinsters, this could be the only reason to be a suffragette.

鈥淣obody loves me 鈥� guess I鈥檒l be a suffragette,鈥� the imagined hopeless woman states.

鈥淪uffragettes are those who have never been kissed,鈥� men say to assuage each other.

However, more importantly, men were afraid of being like 鈥渨omen鈥� 鈥� to have a right in the democratic process meant that they had a voice, a say in how our society was run. This voice was predominantly male. However, the "domestic" woman, the mother and wife, also joined the cause.

鈥淓verybody works, but Mother, but she鈥檚 a suffragette.鈥�

鈥淢y wife joined the suffrage movement, I鈥檝e suffered ever since!鈥�

They believed that all women should stay where they 鈥渂elonged鈥�, "in their place."

鈥淎 woman鈥檚 place is in her home.鈥�

Perhaps you would say, 鈥淲ell that was about 100 years ago! Women are treated well today!鈥� Absolutely this is the past, but to say that we have reached an equal status is erroneous. By asserting that women are treated well is to undermine women鈥檚 rights because we will not settle for just well.Today, women are facing even harder challenges, for them life now has more opportunities and yet the 鈥渟ocial rules鈥� are stricter. We are surrounded by so-called 鈥渟tandards鈥� that we are expected to abide by everywhere we go:

鈥淥H MAN, this one is too HEAVY.鈥�

鈥淯m-em too skinny.鈥�

鈥淭oo cute. Her smile looks so fake.鈥�

鈥淥h, she is too pretty, not really wife-material.鈥�

鈥淭oo ugly, not really wife-material.鈥�

鈥淲hy would you want to be a star if you are so fat, go back home!鈥�

鈥淲hy are you wearing such a skimpy dress? You are too loose.鈥�

These are only words, simple letters put together to form a demeaning message, and for this reason they are more sharp than swords and knives. However, they are only lethal if we allow them to be; like most wounds, the cut they form will eventually heal with medicine and time.

My grandma has become a biology teacher and is married to a doctor; she has three children that will always love and respect her. My aunt never worries about the candies and she knows that no matter what happens, her two brothers will always stand up for her. I never worry about receiving the smaller candy or not being a doctor; instead, I am taught to always chase my dreams. I can, and should, always try to learn more in order to make myself a better.

I still don鈥檛 know if 鈥渂eing afraid of becoming just a housewife鈥� is the reason for me to fight for women鈥檚 rights. It might be unreasonable, but deep in my heart, I believe that nobody is fighting for only themselves.

The clock is ticking... 12 o鈥檆lock, wish me a happy birthday.

Qingyin (Stella) Guan from China is an IB Diploma student at EF Academy New York. This year, she is the Editor-in-Chief of the school鈥檚 literary magazine.

For more information about EF Academy New York, .