Open Letter

Reyes 1
Lindsay Reyes
Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor
English 2010, Section 3
5 February 2019
An Open Letter to My Little Sister
Dear Jordan,
As my sister, and especially as my littlest and only-est sister, you deserve a brief
heads-up about the world: it’s unfair. It’s unfair, cruel, and merciless. Right now, as you’re
navigating your way through the pimples, peer-pressure, and pining of middle school, especially
in the sheltered bubble known as Utah, it probably doesn’t seem that way. Don’t worry, when
you make it to high school and beyond, everything is going to come crashing down. I know, I
know, it sounds really bad, but I’ve made it this far, and we’re related, so that means you can too.
Motivational, I know.
Now, here’s another bit of advice, some you probably don’t want to hear. You were born
with a disadvantage. You started out in this world kicking and screaming because of how unfair
it is. No, it’s not that you’re short, or a minority. It’s because you’re a girl. It might not seem that
way now; being a girl isn’t so bad, right? Your teachers treat you all the same, and your
classmates don’t seem to treat you any different—yet. Just wait, it doesn’t get better.
One of my first experiences with inequality was in 7th grade, during gym. I remember
how gym class reeked with sweat, cologne, and new shoes. We’d play a new sport each week;
ultimate frisbee, volleyball, soccer. Then came football. It was flag football, of course, not
tackle, because the school didn’t want a lawsuit on their hands. I’d hastily tie the flags around
my waist, yank on the too-big jersey, and get into position. The whistle would blow, and I’d run
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to catch the ball— only the ball never came. Every game, the boys would pass it around to
themselves, and no one else. Even if I was wide open, my hands would remain empty and
waiting. It was frustrating.
This is only one of many examples. I tutored my 9th grade year, and while I was walking
through the hall with the boy I tutored, one of his friends crooned, “Is that your b***?” I’ve been
whistled at, honked at, ogled at, outside and inside of school, all because I’m a girl. Yet, I
haven’t even experienced half of what other women have to endure every single day. There is a
solution to all of this, however. It’s called “feminism.”
“Glass ceilings, glass cliffs, leaning in: This is feminism, we’re told, that offers nothing
to the mass of American women…” (Pollitt 6). Feminism is a word that elicits eyerolls and
groans. Call yourself a feminist and people will scatter like you’ve just doused yourself in Axe
body spray. But, why? Why is a belief that men and women treat each other like equals so
frowned upon? As a 7th grader, I don’t expect you to know the answer, but I do expect you to
ask yourself that same question. Think about your history class. How many female historical
figures can you name? Now, how many male historical figures? It’s not that women just
magically appeared after the 19th century, it’s that they were erased from the history books
(Heing). Unfortunately, this isn’t just a thing of our past. Hundreds of years later, women still a re
experiencing the inequality that had been doled out to their ancestors on giant, silver plates.
Women are forced to shape their lives around something that’s out of control—their own body.
Estimates show each child a woman has costs her a five percent loss in wages. Even when a
woman crawls her way into a high-paying and high-power position, her pay might not match that
of her male counterpart. Unfortunately, research has shown that the wage gap isn’t a myth. At
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this rate, it will take until 2058 for it to completely close. (Gender Pay Gap) That means your
children will finally taste equality in the workplace.
Men and women are different. They are built differently, and they act differently. Men
can’t have babies, while women can. Men are biologically stronger than women. It’s not
reasonable to think that a man will be able to do everything a woman does, and that a woman
will be able to do everything a man does. But, that’s no excuse to toss equality out the window.
Jordan, we live in a state where the main religion, Latter-Day Saints, treasures the woman as the
caretaker, and the man as the protector. We live in a state where girls are taught to sew clothes,
and boys are taught to shoot rabbits. We live in a state where women are expected to marry and
have five kids by the time they’re thirty-years-old. Challenge that! You are the caretaker and
protector. You can sew and hunt. Or, you can do neither. Marry or don’t marry, it’s up to you,
not a religion, and definitely not society.
Society is us, and we are society. Blaming inequality on an intangible concept is just a
poor excuse. It’s easy to point fingers at something that can’t fight back, rather than point that
finger at yourself. Remember, it all starts with you. “We have evolved; but it seems to me that
our ideas of gender have not evolved” (Adichie).
But, just as you have a choice, remember that others have their own choices as well.
Feminism means equality, which ecompasses both women and men. Equality is about treating
people the same way, and that includes judgement. If she wants to stay at home with her kids, let
her. If he wants to grow his hair out to his waist, let him. You, and you alone, are the sculptor of
how you affect others.

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Works Cited
Adichie, Chimamanda. “We should all be feminists.” TED. Apr. 2013. Lecture.
Heing, Bridey. “The History of Erasing Women's History.” Broadly, VICE, 5 Nov. 2015,
broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/bmw4aq/the-history-of-erasing-womens-history.
Pollitt, Katha. “Feminism for All.” Nation, vol. 304, no. 8, Mar. 2017, pp. 6–8. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=121408731&site=ehost-live.
“The Gender Pay Gap – Myth vs. Fact.” National Organization for Women, National
Organization for Women, now.org/resource/the-gender-pay-gap-myth-vs-fact/.

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Reyes 1

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Section 3

An Open Letter to My Little Sister

waiting. It was frustrating.

solution to all of this, however. It’s called “feminism.”

children will finally taste equality in the workplace.

not a religion, and definitely not society.

our ideas of gender have not evolved” (Adichie).

how you affect others.

Organization for Women, now.org/resource/the-gender-pay-gap-myth-vs-fact/.

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