Today I arm wrestled one of my good friends. After he destroyed me twice on both arms, we progressed to thumb wrestling. Being beaten again, I insisted on a staring contest. Fast-forward a few more games and 10 minutes later to my friend laughing hysterically at me while I scream that I hate him and inquire just why he beats me at everything.
Pause. Why does he beat me at everything? In my frustration over losing, I had forgotten a time when I used to win at staring contests, thumb wrestling, and even once, arm wrestling. Something did not seem right.
“Coop, what happened,” I asked my friend. “I used to beat you at stuff and I don’t anymore. Did you like work out a lot and not tell me.” (I know, not the most intelligent conversation… it’s even more entertaining if you read it in a valley-girl accent.)
“Well,” Coop answered. “Did you ever consider when you beat me at stuff we were dating?”
Gasp! The punk was letting me win just because we were dating.
At first I was not sure how I felt about this knowledge, but now I know. It’s humiliating to think that all of my “I just kicked your butt at thumb wrestling” dances were built on lies. It’s degrading to think that all the times I proudly told the story of how I beat Coop at arm wrestling he just smiled inwardly and pretended to be embarrassed. It’s infuriating to know that all of those high fives he gave me after I beat him in staring contests were his own subtle way of furthering the mockery.
There was a time when women were stereotyped as the weaker sex and it might have been considered chivalrous for men to “let” women beat them in competitions, but boys that time is over. To quote the bartender in “Anchorman,” “You know, times are changing. Ladies can do stuff now and you’re going to learn how to deal with it.”
It’s true, a lot of times men do have more strength than women, but that does not mean they have more pride. If I am going to win at something, I want to win legitimately and I want to know that the win was a result of my superior “insert cool talent or strength here.” I do not want it to be an outcome of some guy taking pity on me, or even worse, some guy who has… *cough* ulterior motives.
The point is this: Boys, you may win every time, and we (as girls) might get upset by that. But if you consistently let us win, it becomes you telling us that we will never have a chance, and that is not okay. While we may not be able to beat you at arm wrestling, we are worthy competitors and should be treated as such. You wouldn’t let William Jewell beat you at a soccer or football game just because of how cute they are when they get excited about winning. Women deserve to be respected as equal opponents, and when we start beating you (for real), don’t be too surprised.