Women’s History Month celebrates the achievements and contributions of women throughout history. It pushes for recognition and honor of the women who have led the way for equality. 

It allows for reflection and encourages people to continue making progress to strive for something better. Although a lot of progress has been made, much work is still needed to ensure an inclusive and equal society.

Some of the most pressing issues women continue to grapple with today are the gender wage gap and being underrepresented in positions of leadership and power. Whether it’s political offices or academic institutions, women face barriers due to biases and discrimination.

Issues such as reproductive rights, harassment, gender-based violence, and access to healthcare are just a few other issues women face daily. 

Kaitlyn Carnahan, teacher and Women’s Empowerment Club Sponsor at East, shares what the club does not only to encourage but to create a safe space for women to discuss issues they face. 

“Our goal is to make women confident in who they are and how they look,” Carnahan said. “Nowadays with the internet, comparing yourself to others and struggling with body image is very common. I have known quite a few women who have struggled with eating disorders and body dysmorphia throughout their lives.”

She then talks about how the women’s empowerment club works to help women with body positivity and self-esteem. 

“We try to do many things to make women feel comfortable in their skin. One of the things we have done is put positive notes in the women’s bathrooms to make them feel confident,” Carnahan said. 

The release of the Barbie movie served as an example to showcase the challenges women face in society. It celebrates resilience and female empowerment, but it also highlights gender stereotypes and unrealistic beauty standards. Barbie has been criticized for promoting an unattainable definition of beauty and affecting young girls’ view of themselves. 

Senior Lauren Feltes shared how she has faced the high expectations put on women. 

“I compare myself to people I see online,” Feltes said. “You see all of the comments and posts people make about a celebrity and how they look and it makes you feel unworthy and not good enough. I struggle with being confident of who I am.”

Women in the media are often the center of attention, but not for the reasons they should be. Articles and gossip pages generally focus on changes in their weight, their dating lives, their outfits, and their figure rather than focusing on the success they have achieved. 

Senior, Megan Lake, expressed how she feels when she reads things posted about women online.

“It makes me so sad when I see what people are writing about certain celebrities online,” Lake said. “They constantly talk about their figure and say inappropriate things about them. Sometimes people even go as far as creating false inappropriate images of the person.”

A couple of years ago at East, there was a surge among female students to change the dress code. 

Senior, Ana Morales, shared what she remembered about the sudden push for change during her sophomore year after the deans had their annual presentation about dress codes and rules.

“The dean said something that set a lot of girls off,” Morales said. “She mentioned how a girl was wearing a skirt and walking up the stairs when some male students began taking pictures under her skirt. Instead of addressing the male’s inappropriate behavior, she talked about how the girl shouldn’t have been wearing such ‘revealing’ clothing and encouraging the male students.”

The phrases  “What were you wearing” or “You were asking for it” are commonly used to justify male behavior. Women are scared to come forward and speak out about sexual assault as they fear being judged or people not believing them. 

The #MeToo movement, which started in 2006, was to give women a comfortable space to share their experiences with sexual abuse, harassment, and rape culture. Many celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, and America Ferrera have come forward and shared what they have faced. This has inspired many women to speak out against harassment and feel confident getting help. 

Celebrating Women’s History Month isn’t only about honoring powerful women of the past, it’s about bringing awareness to the struggles women face currently and advocating for change. 

Melissa Adams and Charlie Lonsway are staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.