They say “Be a good girl.
Brush your hair, bat your eyes
Be pretty, be soft, be delicate
Keep your mouth shut, don’t be dumb.”
Have an opinion, be careful.
Don’t express it, or you’re a b**** on her period.

They say, “You should be ashamed of your natural, beautiful body.
You’re only a woman, after all.”
They twist and warp beauty
Then airbrush it onto a magazine page.
They say, “You aren’t good enough.
Nose too big, stomach too wide, and those thighs.”

They say, “Buy me! Buy me!
I can make you perfect.”
They say, “Maybe then he’ll love you;
But probably not.”
They say, “Give it up, give in,”
Yet they shame you for your choices.

They say, “There’s no point in feminism. It’s over now.
The wage gap doesn’t exist, it’s a trick.
Why do you hate men?”
They don’t understand that it’s about equality.
It’s called ‘feminism’ to acknowledge
The many slights to womankind.

They say, “Your body is a distraction
To other students, to male students.
Cover your shoulders, your legs, your chest.”
They tell you it’s your fault
Then yank you out of class to change your shirt
They halt your education because your arms show.

They say, “You asked for it,”
As the blood drips down your legs.
They say, “You’re a liar,” when the bruises don’t show
Or when ‘sex on the beach’ rolls off your breath
They blame the victim
And make excuses for the rapist.

They say, “It could be worse.”
But for the oppressed women in third-world countries,
Where acid is thrown through the screen of a burka,
Where love struck teenage girls are murdered in honor killings,
Where the female form is mutilated without pain killers,
It can’t get much worse

They say, “Sexism isn’t real.
It ended in 1920.”
But it hides in society
And is taught without intention or regard
They can say all they want,
But it’s safe to say they’re wrong.