What if men looked upon women with friendship and love—

instead of apathy or lust?

Would women then rise to meet that gaze with Respect?

Would she guard her worth instead of selling her image for approval?

If he saw her as sacred,

would she still need to shout to be seen?

If men were selfless,

would women still dance provocatively?

Or would she move with the freedom of being safe, not scrutinized?

If women stopped seducing for power,

would men still dominate to feel strong?

If boys were taught to protect, not possess,

would we still count the missing children?

Would locker room talk become silence—

not out of shame,

but out of reverence?

If women saw men as capable of tenderness,

would she test him with cruelty to measure his strength?

If men stopped hiding behind sarcasm and stoicism,

would women stop putting up shields?

What if the body was a temple again,

not a billboard?

What if strength looked like restraint,

and desire bowed to dignity?

What if we stopped asking who started it—

and started asking who will stop it?