*Columns are the opinions of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wichitan as an organization.*

All men are trash, and nobody can convince me otherwise. The past couple of weeks I have been frequently asked why I believe so; so here are some categories that all men fall into that make them trash.

Sexualizing/Fetishizing Women: Women are sexualized in any and every form despite what we are wearing, how we look or who we are. Yet, men will still find an excuse to say it is because women are “provoking” them. I can name it all. A few things I and other women have experienced:

“Latinas are freaky”,

Accent: “That is so sexy, I wonder how you would sound screaming my name.”

Hair: “I want my babies to have your hair, it’s so long and curly.”

To being sexualized for my petite figure and height, (I won’t go into detail).  Stop saying things like this to women. It is harassment, and it is disgusting.

Blaming Women: Let’s take the phrase ‘homewrecker’ for example. Why is it that in cheating scandals the woman involved is viewed as a monstrous conniving human being and has to hold almost the entire weight of the situation? What about the man, as in, the one that is more responsible for the actions that took place? Last time I checked, he is the one that needs to be loyal to the woman he is in a relationship with, regardless of the number of temptations. This is just the beginning, keep in mind the multiple cases in which women have been raped, sexually assaulted and verbally harassed, but the question, “Well what was she wearing?” or “What was she doing for that to happen to her?” I am sick of hearing that women need to dress a certain way, speak a certain way [and] act a certain way to be respected; the whole “How is a man going to respect you and love you correctly if –”, if what? Women should be respected because they are human beings.

Saying how women should be: We all at least know one of these: “I want a woman that takes care of herself and knows how to cook and clean,” these are the same men that do not even know how to do laundry, much less wipe their bums correctly.

Misogyny: Despite how many men deny that they are misogynists, here are some common misogynists comments and thoughts that almost every man has committed:

1. Thinking women are soft, meek and in need of command.
2. Women’s sole purpose in life is to please men.
3. Women who do not want children are selfish.
4. Women who do not want to get married are difficult.
5. Women who do not want to have sex are prudes.
6. Women who do not party and drink are boring and lame.
7. A woman should not lead.
8. Women are rehabilitation centers for broken men.
9. Women do not deserve equal pay.
10. Women are less.

Double Standard: As I’ve gotten older, the more I’ve realized that girls are trained to not hold men accountable for their “manly” animalistic traits. Why is it that I get in trouble for wearing a shirt that may show my belly button because I have that one cousin or uncle around? Back to blaming women, in our culture, we are taught that it is our fault instead of telling those cousins and uncles to stop being creeps. The same goes for the dress code, I’m from Panama, which is right on the equator – it’s hot. I used to get dress coded numerous amount of times in high school, and each time was always told it was because I would distract the boys in my class. Why don’t we just teach boys how to control themselves – women are taught how to control themselves in almost every situation, so why not men?

Feeling entitled: If I look nice, say it, and I will say thank you back. I am not obligated to continue the conversation with you, likewise, just because I go on a date with you does not mean I am obligated to sleep with you. And no, you do not have the right to get upset at that. Women are not ATMs where when you put something in, you get something out. We are not obligated to do anything.

These are just a few to a long list that makes men trash, if you fall into any of these categories, correct yourself.