The first week was always supposed to be the most exciting part of attending a new college.

 

It was a chance for students to explore the campus and get to know their way around, find their classrooms, join student clubs and activities, and of course, meet their peers and professors. For Sarah, that also meant meeting new friends who would share her college journey for the next few years to come.

 

But as Sarah quickly found out, it wasn't all fun and games.

 

Orientation week at Wonderland Institute consisted of various seminars, lectures, workshops and social gatherings where the freshmen would meet and interact with upperclassmen, alumni, faculty members, and even some local employers from nearby businesses. All these activities were designed to help acclimate the newbies with college life at the university level, covering topics such as time management skills, study techniques, campus culture, career planning, leadership development, financial aid advice and so forth.

 

But as the dean had said, some of these seminars and lectures were more unconventional than what most people were used to. Especially for women.

 

The first lecture of the morning was called: "Female Subordination: A Necessary Component of Modern Society."

 

A few hundred incoming students gathered in a large classroom that resembled an old auditorium.

 

Sarah sat down near the center of the front row. Her face wore a stern expression but she held a notebook and pen firmly in hand.

 

This oughta be interesting, Sarah thought sarcastically, but nevertheless prepared to take notes. If nothing else, this should at least provide some good fodder to blog about when she got home tonight.

 

A tall man dressed smartly in a crisp navy blazer strode onto the stage holding a stack of books under one arm. His slicked back blonde hair shined beneath the bright lights overhead and he wore thick framed glasses on his chiseled features. His square jaw and strong cheekbones made him look like he could easily pass for a male model rather than a college professor. A pair of khaki slacks hung loosely around his muscular thighs.

 

"Good day everyone, I'm Professor Davis." he began with a booming baritone voice that reverberated through the hall.

 

"I'd like to start off by saying congratulations on being selected for admission into our wonderful university! It truly is an honor for each and every one of you to attend this institution of higher learning. Your parents should be extremely proud of you and I sincerely hope that you'll make the best out of your opportunity while attending classes here."

 

He paused briefly as if letting those words sink into his audience before continuing on.

 

"Let me remind you though that Wonderland isn't like any other college campus. You're going to find yourself exposed to new ideas and philosophies that may differ greatly from your previous educational experiences or perhaps even challenge many of your most deeply held beliefs."

 

He then proceeded to discuss how most modern societies have moved away from traditional gender roles.

 

The professor spoke at length regarding his belief that females are inherently inferior to males. They lacked strength, speed and coordination, as well as possessing a natural instinct to nurture and serve. Furthermore, according to him, it was simply common knowledge that women couldn't perform certain tasks without the assistance of men.

 

Therefore, Davis argued that the ideal society was a hierarchy wherein the superior gender (i.e., males) controlled everything and ruled supreme, while the lesser sex (i.e., females) served their betters obediently and dutifully.

 

Naturally, Sarah found herself disagreeing wholeheartedly.

 

How dare this pig try and justify misogyny disguised as science!? This was ridiculous! He was clearly delusional!

 

She couldn't believe she paid good money to sit here and listen to these nonsense spewed forth from his arrogant mouth.

 

However, Sarah didn't get a chance to express her opinion. At least not yet.

 

Davis' speech lasted about thirty minutes before he finally concluded by asking if anyone had questions.

 

Immediately, Sarah raised her hand and stood up.

 

"Professor Davis? Don't you think your argument is outdated and unfair? It seems more chauvinistic rather than scientific."

 

The room went quiet for a few seconds as all eyes focused on her.

 

"Well now..." Professor Davis replied, his lips curving upwards in an amused grin. He looked around at the rest of the crowd gathered around him. Most seemed to be males.

 

"Ah yes," he said after taking another moment to consider her question carefully. His tone was casual but his words were laced with venom. "Ms Bennett here brings up a valid point. There will always be people out there who will try and deny the facts presented before them simply because they do not wish to accept reality as presented by empirical evidence. They prefer instead to cling to their own misguided perceptions and opinions formed over time based solely on ignorance and fear."

 

He turned back towards Sarah.

 

"So tell us Miss Bennett. What exactly is your opinion based upon?"

 

Sarah felt her cheeks grow hot as she struggled to respond.

 

She had expected some sort of rebuttal to her accusation of sexism but this was beyond anything she could have anticipated!

 

"I base my beliefs off my own life experience," she answered firmly.

 

Davis smiled again and nodded slowly. He stepped forward slightly and put his hands behind his back.

 

"Ah! Of course you did. And what might these experiences entail, if you please?"

 

She cleared her throat before speaking louder than normal to make sure everyone heard every word.

 

"I've seen firsthand how women can succeed just as equally as men in today's society."

 

No mistaking there's laughter coming from several of the male students sitting nearby. It wasn't meant maliciously or anything. In fact most of them probably weren't even aware of the impact their amusement was having on those who were listening closely to Sarah's response. But still... it stung all the same.

 

Davis held his hands up and motioned for quiet.

 

"I'm sorry," he said with a hint of mockery. "Could you repeat that?"

 

"I said I've witnessed how women are capable of success in our modern day and age," Sarah replied coolly, trying her hardest not to sound angry.

 

"Oh really?" the professor asked sarcastically. Then he paused as if thinking for a moment.

 

"Hmmmmm. So Ms Bennett. Let's pretend that what you're saying is true and women are just as good as men. Tell me: why would any female choose to go into business or politics when they could simply become a model or actress like yourself?"

 

A chorus of snickers followed by outright guffaws filled the air once more.

 

"Because it takes a lot of hard work to achieve those kinds of careers," Sarah countered defiantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest defiantly. She knew that the boys were checking her out as they always did whenever she was around.

 

The professor looked puzzled. His brows furrowed together in confusion as he stared at Sarah for a second longer than necessary. Then his expression changed completely.

 

He smiled broadly.

 

"Oh, I see now!" he exclaimed happily. Turning to the other students, he explained, "You guys must be familiar with the celebrity status that Miss Bennett possesses, right? Well, it seems as though she believes her fame somehow makes up for her lack of intelligence and competence. Isn't that cute?"

 

More laughs ensued.

 

Sarah glared at him. She was beginning to lose her temper. This jerk thought he had her beat. That he could get away with humiliating her in front of everyone.

 

She wouldn't let him win so easily though.

 

"Just because someone is famous doesn't mean they're stupid," she argued, standing her ground even though she felt like crying from embarrassment. How dare he call her dumb!?!

 

Davis shook his head.

 

"No, Miss Bennett, I don't believe that's the case here."

 

He turned away from her again and addressed the audience.

 

"This is precisely the reason why I started giving this lecture in the first place! The illusion of female empowerment has caused a lot of young women such as Miss Bennett to think that they can actually compete against men on a professional level when clearly the only thing that separates them is the size of their tits!"

 

Another round of raucous laughter erupted throughout the room.

 

"That's the reason why I started giving this lecture: Because there will always be women who are delusional and naive about the world. And these types of girls are the most dangerous because they don't realize the damage that they do to themselves and their peers. These females truly think that they're special and deserve better than what life offers them. They refuse to accept reality and thus end up wasting precious time chasing pipe dreams instead of working hard at finding their true purpose."

 

Sarah heard her heartbeat pounding furiously in her ears.

 

Never had she been insulted and humiliated by anyone this way before.

 

A normal girl would've burst into tears at being publicly mocked by an authoritative figure.

 

But Sarah was not a normal girl. The humiliation only strengthened her resolve. It made her more determined to fight back against the misogynist establishment that oppressed women all around her.

 

Her eyes burned brightly with righteous fury.

 

She would not stand down or allow herself to be bullied into submission. No matter how much these jerks tried to push her down, she'd keep getting back up and continue fighting for the cause.

 

"Professor Davis, I will never let my gender define who I am." she began, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

 

"And I don't appreciate your sexist remarks about my gender," she stated coldly, "I'm sure most of the women here agree with me."

 

A momentary silence. Everyone waited anxiously to see what was going to happen next.

 

Finally, the professor nodded.

 

"Yes, yes, Miss Bennett," he said calmly. "I understand that you are passionate about your beliefs. And I admire your courage to speak up for them. But unfortunately, this is not a debate class nor a forum where we discuss opinions. This is an orientation session where we teach new students the basic tenets of Wonderland Institute. And so far, I have only told you the facts as I know them. If you disagree, that's fine, however, please save your opinions for a later date. I open a class at the start of semester called 'Psychology of Femininity'. I will give you an opportunity to voice your views in my class. If you sign up for it."

 

"I will!" she retorted.

 

"Excellent. You will learn a lot there. That's all the time we have for today," Professor Davis said dismissively. "Class dismissed!"

 

I will take down your whole patriarchy one day. Mark my words, Sarah thought, and turned on her heel.

 

She had yet to learn a lesson, one way or another...