Looking back at high school now, I can point out a frightening number of instances when my male friends would do creepy things that were really not okay. Back then, I believed that their behavior was justified because they were born with a penis. They do these things and they laugh while other people shrug it off, but I think it’s important to encourage young women to stand up for themselves, even when it’s their closest friends harassing them. Here are some forms of harassment we have all experienced in high school.
When Your Cleavage Was the Basketball Hoop.
One of the annoying sexual gestures in high school is when male classmates would decide that your cleavage was a good place to shoot pieces of paper, candy, or really any small object into. This is something that happened to me very often in high school as well as something I would witness far too much in a casual classroom setting, even with teachers present. They throw the crumbled up piece of paper into your shirt between your boobs and everyone else laughs about it. Are you supposed to laugh too? Are you supposed to be angry? Or do you smile and shrug, bearing the discomfort until class is over only to deal with something similar in your next class? Here's what you do: tell them to stop and don't do it politely.
When They Snapped Your Bra Straps
That would bring me to my next annoying thing: pulling the bra straps. For some reason, boys in high school have this notion that they can touch whatever they want if they aren’t serious about it. This is why many girls listening to their teacher in math class would all of a sudden feel the sting and hear the snap of their bra strap that the dumb boy behind them decided to touch out of boredom. It’s insane that I even need to ask this, but boys, please don’t touch a woman's undergarments without permission.
When They Slapped Your Ass Like It Was Normal
Now I can move on to one of the most annoying things: the ass slap. Again, it's insane that this is even an issue. Boys, it is not cool to slap a girls ass without permission. And ladies, it is not okay for a boy to do this if it makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable, even if he appears to be a close friend of yours. Don't ignore it and don't laugh it off.
When They Yell Gross Things at You
One act of harassment that is an issue everywhere makes itself even more present on high school campuses is catcalling. High school is a time when most women start to get catcalled by strangers, and it is actually a really uncomfortable feeling to endure. All women can agree that It makes you look down, walk even faster, and wonder if the catcaller is following you. We start to wonder if we’re in danger. Catcalling on a high school campus is even more damaging because women in high school are at their most vulnerable stage defining their self-esteem.
When They Wouldn't Stop Joking About Sex With You
The constant implications that they want to have sex with you. This is something that has been completely normalized on high school campuses, so much so that many of these young ladies do not even realize that it’s wrong. High school males twist everything a woman says into a sexual innuendo that makes her feel unsafe and uncomfortable. These behaviors are all over television, all over pop culture, and all over media in general.
So here is what I have to say to the ladies of this age group: it is okay to tell them to shut the hell up. You are not a prude, you are not uptight, and your comfort is more important than dumb boys believing that you don’t have a good sense of humor. Do not let your male friends sexually harass you.
