In history, men have been the ones drafted for the most part, but rumors suggest women will be drafted soon. A person who is drafted is selected by force to serve in the military or war. As a result of not following through with being drafted, a person can be fined or even face prison time. A TikTok trend started around October 13 and blew up. It involved making jokes about women being drafted. In the future, it remains to be seen whether the government will consider drafting women.

The trend was made into a joking matter involving a very serious topic regarding women’s safety and future. Some were in support of the trend and others argued that it was offensive and disrespectful. Reese Talton, junior, finds the trend entertaining and funny, but ultimately she would not want to be drafted.

“There are very funny, but of course at the end of the day, if I really get drafted I wouldn’t know how to feel about that. Well, I would be upset,” said Talton. 

Although Talton sees the humor in the situation, she also acknowledges that this is very serious. There is also the possibility that women being drafted could be a good thing for the military or war in general however Talton thinks it shouldn’t be a good thing because it’s not really women’s job to do so.

“I don’t think it would be a good thing. Only because I’m biased since I am a woman and I am a black woman. I don’t think it would be a good thing only because I feel like it’s always been men who go out and do that. And I feel like yes, women can do everything a man can. But there are some things that we don’t have to be involved,” said Talton.

Art teacher Lindsay Wittenberg feels that women perform well in the military, however, she is nervous when she thinks about them being drafted.

“I would say regardless, whether it be men or women, a draft makes me very nervous. But I do know that having women in the military is a wonderful thing. But as far as the draft goes, I would hope that they’re choosing to be there on their own free will,” said Wittenberg.  

Women being drafted may be a good thing in the long run, but it can drastically affect families and friends since many women are caregivers and mothers. There is no doubt that they play a significant role in the lives of many people. Even though Caiden Bailey is not a woman himself, he believes that it can negatively affect people’s families as well as put them in harm’s way.

“It doesn’t directly affect me but thinking about like, if my mom was drafted, it would just be sad because obviously she was hurt and possibly going away, then it will leave, you know, me and all my other family members lonely. And so I think, as far as actually being drafted goes, I’m against it. But if they were to willingly sign up, you know, I think that’s completely okay because then it’s their choice. But even then, I would want them to, you know, not be on the frontlines actually fighting unless they you know, really, really wanted to do it,” said Bailey.

It is important to note that the rumors are just speculation, especially if they are the result of a social media trend. A number of people and their families may suffer from this topic, as well as the way in which it may affect the lives of women in various ways, whether that’s good or bad.