we want insults? and tulip emojis too?

I must have missed the history lessons where our powerful, badass female ancestors roamed the streets demanding for gender equality in the form of insults and roses rather than bread and roses, as, a century later, all I seem to get on International Women's Day is an insult and well, a tulip emoji rather than a rose.

Backup backup backup.

March 8th 2016: International Women's Day. Me, sitting back in civics class, distraught by the fact that it hasn't been brought up yet. That no one seems to know about March 8th. I decide to blatantly graffiti 'INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY' on my pale white hand in a wonderfully messy masterpiece of pink, flowers and hearts. Ring ring. My phone vibrates. New text message from a guy I used to call my friend, whom I haven't spoken to in months, with a simple tulip emoji.

Him: *tulip emoji* (note: no text whatsoever)

Me: yo, what?

Him: Shame on you. It's international women's day. You should know.

Me: Oh yeah! Bruh I know, you should see the graffiti I have on my hand hehe

But how did you expect me to understand that from a tulip emoji hahaha

Him: well, if you would be smart enough, you would have understood. and you're the one who didn't get it, and you still haven't said thank you.

Me: (?????? this must be the part where I drop my phone in disbelief ????)

oh yeah. let me just apologize for not understanding a flower emoji out of nowhere and not saying thank you for sending me a simple emoji without even the words 'happy women's day'?

Him: fine be that way.

???????????

*two days pass*

Me: What are you telling me happy women's day for if you insult me the next second?

Him: Where do you see an insult? Tell me. And I didn't insult you. (this is word for word I'm not even playin)

Me: well, if you would be smart enough...... (SEE WHAT I DID THERE CMON UP TOP UP TOP)

Him: That's an insult, and why are you bringing this back instead of answering on Tuesday?

Me: Exactly, it's an insult and it's precisely what you said. What's the difference whether I answered today or on Tuesday? I didn't have the time or the energy before.

Him: Alright, done. Have a nice day (?????? vERY TEMPTED TO FLUSH MY PHONE DOWN THE TOILET TO RID IT OF THIS SHIT ?????)

Me: Nice apology there.

Him: (goes on useless rant?) I'm not gonna apologize this time (not that I've ever heard him use the sorry word...) Like I was being nice by sending you a rose and you, you were like what's that? and you still haven't said thank you. So why should I apologize?? And you should have gotten it too, but you didn't, and I have explained why I sent the rose. So I'm not going to apologize. (If anyone can translate this message plz let me know cus the amount of bullshit is covering up any meaning he may have tried to convey??)

Me: So let me get this straight: I'm supposed to say thank you for sending me an emoji without even the words 'happy women's day' and even thank you after calling me dumb?

Him: I said if you would be smart enough to get it, not that you were dumb. (I think he needs to open a thesaurus for once in his life) I'm sorry if it sounded wrong or something. (Note: sorry that it sounded wrong, entailing not that he was ever wrong, but that I, the overly emotional female, was wrong in interpreting what the mighty polite male ever meant)

Let's just say that it ended by classifying it as a misunderstanding.

You know what the sick part is? That after all this, after I for once, finally stood up for myself and said what I truly felt, I feared I was exaggerating. That I had gone too far, said something wrong, or made a fool of myself. That's only because I've been taught to think so. Girls have always been taught that emotions are a sign of weakness, that female passion is foolish and overly dramatic, *queue period joke*. And these were just the nasty excuses men made up to protect themselves every time they knew a woman was right.

And perhaps my friend was taught that as a man, you should always expect more from an overly emotional woman, when you give them your 1% that they should always give you 110%. That all you need to do to get praised in society is send a simple emoji, and everything will come rushing smoothly your way.

So what happens when females start changing? When we don't use our good manners and say thank you to any man who offers us a minute glance? When we decide to remove the shackles which constrict us into this patriarchal society? Then we are considered immoral, impolite, improper. Certainly not lady like.

I just hope that slowly we all start evolving. That on March 8th 2017, my school will be plastered in posters, flowers dangling from the ceiling, the chant of bread and roses in the distance, kids learning about women's fight to emancipation in class, that on the day dedicated to me and to people like me I will not have to deal with a dominant testosterone-led teenage boy expecting me to bow down to his superior being.

A girl can only dream.