Double Standards: The New View on Dueling Genders

Allison McKenzie, Staff Writer

“You’re always gonna have haters,” says Meghana Venugopal (11), about double standards in the entertainment industry. Throughout the years, double standards have become a large debate especially on social media. Not only do we see these standards in everyday life, but several celebrities, mostly women, are hated on for their specific actions and the specific ways they express themselves. “I see these standards and how they affect celebrities like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran because he can write as many songs about girls as he wants, but when Taylor Swift writes one song about a guy, she’s the one that gets hate,” says Lexi Gavlas (9).

“Guys think they are more superior and that shouldn’t be a thing,” says Taylor Young (11). It has always been that women should follow the rules and not stand out. When women do express themselves in their own ways, they get hate for it. “When Miley Cyrus changed, she got so much hate and all she was trying to do was express herself and it was just awful,” said Lexi Miller (9). Nobody should be put down for being themselves and wanting to put themselves out there. “When Nick Jonas did the Calvin Klein ad, he got so much praise for it, but I remember when a woman did one and she was called all of these terrible names,” said Venugopal.

Feminism is one of the largest raging topics in society right now and double standards definitely contributes to it. “Men think that they are better and women are finally starting to fight back,” says Young. Men were not the only ones who shaped this world for women but society has also had a big part in giving women their title and the way they should be. “Society tries to make a place that is better for them and not for the people in it,” says Miller. Men can do anything a woman can do and a woman can do anything a man can do so why is there so much hate towards the women?

Just recently, Dove has come out with the “Like A Girl” commercial which states that anything that a man can do a woman can do just as well. This commercial shows that women are strong and they are fighting back for what they deserve and that nobody, not even society, can hold them down. “Women are held up to higher expectations and I hate it but I also feel like you can’t get rid of these double standards and they will always be there ,” said Michaela Berglund (11).

Overall, this “How Women Should Be” thing should be abolished. It doesn’t allow women to express themselves the way they want to without getting hated on and pulled down.“ I feel like we should change these double standards because women should be able to do anything a man can do without getting all the hate,” says Gavlas.

Quiz:

Which Celebrity sang at the MTV awards and sang with a Teddy Bear Suit on?

  1. Taylor Swift
  2. Pharrell Williams
  3. Miley Cyrus
  4. John Mayer

Which famous singer went to the red carpet in a meat dress?

  1. Miranda Lambert
  2. Carly Rae Jepsen
  3. Lady Gaga
  4. Madonna