The other day I was leaving school for the evening when a tall, young, blonde turned the corner into my view. Her body was fit and her hair was down. With her backpack and shoes she wore a tank top and jean shorts, which cut off at the tops of her thighs and exposed the bottom third of her tan butt cheeks. I was inspired.
Before I get going about how I was inspired, let me start off by telling you that I’m a 30 year old man and the father to a beautiful 7 year old daughter. Really, my kid is tall and pretty. And if I underestimated her intelligence or lacked faith in her mother’s and my parenting abilities, I’d probably be nervous about the future as she enters her years as a teen and young adult.
So when I saw this young girl’s little brown butt cheeks, my mind went in many directions.
I’m not sure which thought process came to me first, but one of them was “She must be cold.” It is an unusually cold September thus far, and I think the heat index must have been around 60 degrees fahrenheit on this cloudy and windy Ohio evening.
Another thought in my head was surely “That’s nice.” That primitive idea sparked two more thought processes, each dramatically less animalistic than the original. One of those thoughts was that this must be a confident and brave young woman to be wearing those shorts.
She is blessed, obviously. Not everyone is born into a healthily functioning body with fast metabolism. She also has worked hard for what she has. Countless squats and miles run are responsible for that fit of a body, hard and repetitive work.
But even the fittest people can lack in confidence, as confidence is a trait that is built and nourished not by exercise, but through experiences. Her family, teachers, coaches and friends must have done well in nourishing her sense of confidence.
Bravery comes from some place else. Part of it is confidence in one’s abilities. Another part derives from a sense of optimism for our fellow human being. This brave young woman must be optimistic about the nature of the men and women she comes into contact with at Sinclair, and confident in her ability to ward off possible verbal and physical attacks in the case that her optimism proves misguided.
Another thought that came to mind was an internal “Thank you.” Thank you for sharing your beauty. You and many more beautiful women bring light and happiness to this world which can sometimes feel dark and lonely. Beautiful men bring that same light, though I can’t say I have the same appreciation for it as others. Thank you to all of those who work hard to be healthy and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and for displaying that beauty for others to enjoy.
This isn’t to say that my personality is without a shadow. In this particular instance my dark side judged her and told me not to feed her need for attention. It forced my hand to grab my keys and pretend to look for the key to my bike lock, well before I was near my bike. It was as if I was telling her “I don’t notice you,” whereas I typically greet strangers with a kind smile.
It’s in our darker nature to judge others. Our tendencies to be rude or unkind are hidden within a part of us that we don’t like to acknowledge. That same dark place is home to the primitive thought to “grab ‘em by the p***y,” though most people recognize that extreme behavior as morally repugnant and have an easier time ignoring the impulse.
That dark place also gives us the ability to lie, which I just did to make a point about judgment. Of course I smiled at the girl in short shorts. The smile was out of kindness, but I am a man after all. And although I’m happy with my current romantic relationship, I still have a pulse and drive.
But I’m aware of my sexual desires and have them under control, though not everyone can say the same. According to the Title IX signs posted in Sinclair’s restrooms, one in five women and one in twenty men fall victim to sexual assault during their college careers. In the context of people feeling confident and brave enough to display their personal beauty, this is why we can’t have nice things.
In closing I would like to thank women who grace our presence with short shorts and sundresses, and men who show their arms or whatever it is that floats straight women’s and gay men’s boats. I’d also like to press upon those whose shadows are capable of inflicting the pain of sexual assault onto other humans, to face those demons and seek psychiatric help before you do something terrible.
And I’d like to thank the anonymous young woman in tiny jean shorts. Thank you for putting your beauty and strength on display for others to appreciate. And thank you for trusting your fellow man. You give me hope for the future as humans learn to control their primitive instincts, and hope for my daughter’s future experiences as she grows to express herself in her own unique way.
Will Drewing
Managing Editor