When I was just a few months old my mother had to change doctors for me because the first one stared at my privates far too intensely.
When I was in elementary, boys would grab my butt and spank it. The school ignored my motherās anger with the reasoning ātheyāre just kids.ā My mother had to threaten them with legal actions for them to actually do something.
When I was in sixth grade I didnāt like sitting in front of the gym class because I could feel eyes on my backside when I had to stretch. The staff didnāt care. The boys were just curious, after all.
When I got to middle school, I was criticized when my sweater fell off my shoulder and my tank top strap showed. I was distracting the boys and their education was very important. The boy in the desk next to me was wearing a muscle shirt, but no one said anything to him.
My first year of high school, I was sexually assaulted by a man I babysat for. I walked home alone at one in the morning and showered for an hour. I called myself a whore for the next 3 years.
At 17, I had a 50 year old come inside my place of work to make multiple lewd remarks towards me while cornering me against a trash can. I couldnāt call security. The security guard had complimented my breasts and body just a few weeks before and made me nervous.
No one can tell me that I have not been sexually objectified. Sexual harassment is treated as a joke. As if it is nothing more than words and jabs. Words turn into actions fast. I had to learn that the hard way.
