Let's get this straight, I am not objectifying myself, and I was never an object to begin with.

I  am female. I am all of my double X chromosomes and any identifying features that mark me as "woman". I am all of my body, not an object that is my body. Every cell, every organ, every inch of skin, is me. I am not defined by others, I am defined by me, because I set the standard for myself.

John Steinbeck said, "We believe in the manliness of our men and the womanliness of our women, but we got to extremes of expense and discomftort to cover any natural evidence that we are either".

What makes a woman a woman? Is it her ability to bear children? Long hair? Is it in the curve of her shoulders or the length of her neck? Does lacking a Y chromosome make us women, or is it the length of our legs?Society expects women to fullfill womanly roles of motherhood and nurturing in the same way that a toaster is expected to crisp toast. Meanwhile, it is assumed that we will cover our bare shoulders in schools and not give away our bodies to whomever we desire, bodies that are part of us since birth.

Is it fair that boys in schools sag their pants and display boxer patterns while girls are sent home for immodest shorts? Does a female in the public school system that is sent home for being immodest have less of a right to an education because she chooses to come to school showing skin that is part of her? Are bare shoulders on girls any more distracting than tank tops showing bicepts on boys? Any person that comes to school with the intent to learn surely will, just as any person with no intent to learn surely won't. We're left responsible for our brains, and what we fill them with, whether it be cartoons, knowledge, or obscenities, because these facts are hidden from view. Bodies, however, are in the public eye and become part of an obsession to keep pretenses modest.

Does a woman objectify herself when she reveals to the world skin on her upper thighs, lower back, chest, and midriff, or does society objectify her when she is told that she cannot? Why is society afraid of such distinctions between sexes, while it prides on distinction of gender? When someone who's sex is female identifies as having a male gender, society finds such crossovers unnacceptable, creating a paradox. The two sexes and genders must be kept seperate, and any failure to contrast with the other is distateful, all the while preventing either sex from confessing that they are either.

I ask you this:

Who is objectifying whom?