Keep your eyes low

It's almost like a reflex, someone passes by - my eyes go low. It's almost as if I am holding someone else, someone I sometimes don't even know, to a higher level than me. At first, it felt "respectful," but now it just feels degrading. Degrading because why cannot also look up when spoken to, or why can I just look you in the face and speak full sentences without looking away?

Sure, when we talk about emotional situations, we may look away, but I am speaking of everyday conversations with someone. When you lower your head, your eyes, your being - you are inferring that the person standing in front of you is of higher power. Now, do not get me wrong; we must show respect to everyone, but no one walking this earth should be put so high on a pedestal that I am now degrading myself. My work, my knowledge, my perseverance.

Oh, don't be so dramatic....

When you have to fight so hard for a place at the table using only what others use- knowledge...but for you, that isn't enough; you'll understand.

This isn't about how much harder one has to work than someone else to achieve their dreams (because this is an absolutely true statement), but this is about the little actions us woman do that allow others to take power without us even knowing.

The Event

I was recently at an event. There were so many beautiful speeches from both men and women, but one thing I noticed that was different between the two was... confidence. How come all the women who stood on that stage had a piece of paper that had their entire speeches written out? How come all the men who stood on that stage came up with no paper to speak from? Mind you, many of these women were in higher seats than the men. So my question was: why? How are you so high, yet these little actions put you in such an inferior eye to the public? Then it brought me back to the "Keep your eyes low and your mouth shut." You are only to be seen and not heard.

How much longer are we going to allow this narrative to dive deep into the future generations of women?