Opinion Piece: Why Is a Woman’s Body Always in Question?

By Khushi Bhatt 

Society has long burdened women and young girls with unattainable expectations, regarding both appearances and behaviors. These expectations, emphasized by the current age of Social media, often force little girls and teens especially to think that they are not enough, perpetuating toxic thinking patterns. For example, some girls might see photos of skinny models on Instagram, and think to themselves “I need to diet.” In reality, all bodies are unique and should be celebrated. Nevertheless, the pressures that constantly weigh on women regarding body image and more can cause detrimental thinking that must be addressed and taken seriously. While many women grapple with body insecurities, government groups, mostly composed of men, often seem to be the ones making laws that affect women in ways difficult for men to understand. In many places, women are forced to sit prim and proper as their rights to legal abortions are taken away by male legislators. 

Personally, I have always been a chubby kid and vividly remember my mom pinching my plump cheeks before sending me on my way to school. In gym class, we would all take our shoes off and line up in front of the scale, some dreading the impending moment, whilst the thin girls boasted about their BMI and body proportions.

From young ages, these toxic, harsh, and judgemental ideals are upholstered into our Young girls around the world now more than ever, face body image issues and struggle to love themselves because of the unreal expectations set. Hearing remarks such as, “you eat alot for a girl”, or even “ have you heard about fasting?” only strengthen and upholster these unrealistic standards. However, if everyone conformed to these standards and looked and acted exactly the same, the world would be robbed of diversity, perspective, beauty, and spontaneity. 

As women, it’s important that we band together and uplift one another, especially when judged or looked down upon. When we remember that we are all strong, independent, and beautiful, our individuality shines bright. Women are truly a force to be reckoned with. 

Famous Women Who Have Gotten the Coronavirus Vaccine

By Payton Caggiano and Maddy Leslie

We can finally see the light at the end of a long dark tunnel as a vaccine for the coronavirus has recently been approved. These strong and empowering women were amongst the first to get the vaccine, encouraging others to do the same. 

The famous Queen Elizabeth, at 94 years old, got vaccinated on January 9, 2021 at Windsor Castle. Joan Collins is an 87 year old woman, who stars in many productions such as the hit series Dynasty. On January 10th, 2021, she documented her vaccination in an Instagram photo. 31-year-old Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is currently serving as the U.S. representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, posted a tweet on December 19, 2020 of her receiving the first dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. In her tweet, she answers questions about the vaccine to allow people to feel safe getting vaccinated. Kamala Harris, vice president of the U.S., posts a video on her instagram, right after her vaccination, on December 29, 2020. She speaks about trusting scientists and how the vaccine will save so many lives. Nancy Pelosi is another American politician urging the importance of the vaccine, documenting her own via Instagram, but also reminding everyone to continue wearing masks and social distancing. 

These are only few, out of many, women who are now COVID vaccinated and strongly urge other citizens to follow their leads. 

The Pope Formalized Women’s Roles In the Catholic Church

By Hadley Hart

Historically, in the Catholic Church, women have been overlooked and not permitted to hold a position in mass, but after a meeting at the Vatican with Pope Francis, steps are being made towards gender equality in the Catholic Church. 

The Catholic Church has previously forbidden women from filling a number of roles in the church, such as serving at the altar, which includes the distribution of communion, and giving readings from the Bible during mass. Change is finally inciting after Pope Francis amended the Code of Canon Law on January 11, 2021. The Code of Canon Law prohibits conservitive priests from banning women from participating in these particular roles in mass. According to Francis, what prompted his decision to revise the law was that he wanted to acknowledge the “precious contribution” that women make in the church. However, the change in law that the Pope made still does not guarantee complete equality in the church; there are a number of positions that can only be filled by “ordained” ministers, which includes the diaconate and priesthood, both of which can only be filled by men.

Though this is not a radical change for many Catholic women, considering that the positions of highest power can still only be held by men, it is a small step in the right direction towards religious gender equality. 

How to Tip for Takeout 

By Alexa Bournazos

The dangers of restaurant dining due to the Coronavirus have driven many Americans to bring their business to take out services, such as Grubhub, Ubereats, and local pizzerias. With the rise of takeout and the struggling restaurants, the question of tipping has crossed the minds of many. 

Deciding how much to tip is easy in a restaurant: 15-20%. In a restaurant, you are waited on and form a connection with and consequently an opinion on, the person who is serving you. Takeout is a much more impersonal process; the food is dropped at your door, and most of the time the delivery person drives away before you can get to the door. So, should these people be tipped the same amount as the wait-staff in restaurants? During these uncertain times, perhaps yes. 

One Grubhub delivery driver told Glamour, “about 50 percent of my weekly earnings is from my tips.” Grubhub only pays their deliverers 50 cents a mile from the restaurant to the home, and does not include the fare the drivers take to arrive at the restaurant. A large percent of the drivers’ paychecks is required to pay for gas, subtracting a large portion of their pay.  The same way that the pandemic is robbing Americans of their ability to eat inside restaurants, it is similarly robbing American employees of a normal salary. After all the work food deliverers go through to get your food to you, a 20% tip is well deserved and would be greatly appreciated.