subjective objectivity

So on my way home from the gym tonight I saw a guy walking down the street. Normal looking guy doing nothing other than minding his own business, walking down the street.  And what was my thought?  Why is no one honking at him?  Why can't I?


Now I am not trying to brag, and if you know me, you KNOW I'm not, but I can't walk from my house to the gym without getting a honk, with or without an inappropriate commentary.  But this guy can go about his business, walking down the street without being bothered (well I'm assuming here, for all I know he leads a tormented life in which case I feel badly, but for the purposes of this story he is a normal guy that is just walking down the street, unbothered).  This moment, of course, makes me think about the way that women are viewed and valued in our society.  


Women have a come a long way from what we read about in history books in school.  But we are still not on an equal playing field with men.  Maybe I'm skewed by the career I have selected for myself, but I know that I cannot "play the game" the same way a man does.  There are other things (like size and personal style) that are taken into consideration regarding women that aren't the same (or at all) with men.  And vice versa- I'm not trying to play the feminist card, I simply can only speak to the experiences I have had (and none of them have been as a man).  Woman have and will always play an important role in society... the phrase "separate but equal" comes to mind.


But anyways, back to my story.  So this situation I have just encountered is making me think about how women are objectified, more so than men.  Proven by this man's undisturbed walk when I cannot do the same.  Then I realized- I JUST LEFT THE GYM!  The gym, of all places; the place where I am making an effort to enhance my physical appearance (aka giving society an excuse to objectify me).  Yes, there is an element of physical well being, but in all honesty I go to the gym to look better.  


Oh the irony- I'm sitting here getting upset by the way women are objectified, and I'm making it easier.  Talk about screwed up.  Not my proudest realization, but it is what happened.  So what did it teach me?  That I need to do what I do for me and no one else.  And that I need to recognize that society operates in a certain way and just because I can't change it does not mean I can just ignore it.  At the end of the day, as long as I can look at myself and like who I am and the way I am navigating this crazy world, then I have done the best I can and I can be happy with that.