Growing up I’ve always been taught to act ladylike, or to dress appropriately. The thing is I’ve never thought anything of it because that’s the way it’s always been. It’s always been about women needing to act accordingly to their male counterparts. If we dress too scandalous we might seem like we’re “asking for it” or are putting ourselves up for scrutiny. This is not okay. Now I’m not saying I’ve never heard men say something along the lines of “My mom taught me to treat women with respect,” because I have. However it’s on rare occasions and rarely seems to carry any weight or meaning to them, it’s almost like they’re saying it to impress me. It shouldn’t have to be told as a sort of accomplishment, it should just come naturally. Women need to be respected and should not have to tiptoe around men just because they don’t know how to control themselves.

Now I may seem like I’m coming off very harsh but as a highschool girl I know full well just how disgusting the male brain can be, and I’m tired of it. I’ve heard plenty of conversations between teenage boys that I would never want to repeat, however for the sake of this article I’m going to share one. Now this one is definitely not the worst I’ve heard but it gets my point across. It was late and we were just getting home from a long track meet, the girls and boys are together, and when I was picking up my stuff I overheard one of the guys talking in what I assume was his idea of a girl’s voice. I’m not sure if he was talking to someone or was just making a general statement but he said in his sassy shrill voice, “I am not a sex object,” then followed up with (in his regular voice), “Look I’m just saying if girls don’t want to be called sex objects they shouldn’t dress like sex objects”. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of discomfort, and this may seem like nothing but it was truly such an awkward situation to be in. No woman should have to worry if a man thinks they’re dressed like a “sex object”, in fact no one should have to worry about what a man thinks at all. Even if a woman were to walk around the streets butt-naked men should not see that as an opportunity to harass her or make unwanted comments.

But hey maybe I’m wrong. Maybe women aren’t the only ones who get objectified in public and in private. I mean I know for a fact that isn’t true, but the amount of disturbing things I’ve heard men say about women compared to the amount of what women say about men, it seems almost inarguable. Men need to learn. If someone were to come to my small school and have to hear the comments people make about their body, their butt, their clothes, they’d understand. I’m not saying all men are monsters, but their mentality has definitely been altered. They believe they can get away with the things they say or the things they do, and it’s true, they do. It’s always, “Oh it’s just boys being boys,” or “Oh he can’t help but make those comments.” This shouldn’t be made a normality, they need to be held accountable for their actions. Women need respect just as much as men need respect, and that shouldn’t be too much to ask for.