I am a 16-years-old American-born Chinese currently living in the UAE. My hobbies include sports, music and art, but I am very distressed at how sexism is present in the activities I love. In youth sports teams, I was looked down on because I was a girl that “couldn’t throw the ball hard enough” or “couldn’t pick up my bat without breaking a sweat”. However when I play the piano or draw a sketch, people say along the lines that “she’s a girl, of course she is good, boys won’t be”. Therefore, my younger-self thought, are there specific things that only girls are good at or only boys are good at? That can’t be right? Many of my peers have hobbies, regardless of their gender! And if women were supposed to “excel” in the music and arts, then why are we still so underrepresented? Why are women all unknown in any branch of skill? Of all the famous sports competitions I watched, few of my peers were willing to watch women compete. Of all the classical piano pieces I played, few of them were by women. Of all the art styles I learnt, few of them were developed by women. Not wanting this issue to be swept under the rug, I try everyday, proving female stereotypes wrong, putting more effort into what I do. I am disgusted by how sexism is prevalent everywhere in this world. In the past, women were not given the right to develop extracurricular skills and instead were forced to be domestically orientated. And yet here we are in the 21st century, standards like this are still present. I want to be able to live in a world where women and men can equally thrive, and that is through working with SHEQUALITY to make that change.