Constantly throughout our lives, we hear the saying “boys will be boys.” I can now say that I have never realized how messed up it is until now. It’s not a saying, it’s an excuse. An excuse that is told from being a little kid, to a young adult. Six years old on the playground and a boy is chasing us around pulling on our hair and it doesn’t seem okay, but we are told “boys will be boys,” so we ignore it. 13 years old and boys are calling girls names and making fun of them for how they look but it’s okay because “boys will be boys.” 16 years old and boys start expecting girls to do whatever they want them to and get mad when they don’t, but it’s okay because “boys will be boys.” 19+ year old girls in college have to stay alert everywhere they go because some boys don’t know how to respect women, but you know what they say, “boys will be boys.”

It’s different for girls, and it shouldn’t be. Girls get called a slut for hanging out with a bunch of guys, but when a guy hangs out with a bunch of chicks he’s a ‘bro’. Girls drink too much or don’t wear enough clothing and they are labeled ‘trashy’, but when boys do it they are ‘legends’. Boys can let themselves free when they decide to go out, but a girl never can because something might just happen to them. They’ll use the excuse “she was asking for it with that outfit,” or “she shouldn’t have gotten that drunk.” When has a boy ever had to worry about that?

Dierks Bentley nailed this concept with his song, “Different for Girls” where he explains all the things guys do that girls don’t. The line “different when hearts get broke,” refers to how boys can seemingly fix all their problems with a drink and another girl, and the line “can’t switch it off when they feel something,” refers to how girls don’t have the off switch that boys seemingly have. I don’t know how, and I’m not sure anyone knows how boys are able to not care about anything, but until girls realize that they cannot make a boy care about them, they will ultimately be trapped in a shallow pit of pain and confusion.

Everything is different for girls, and the worst is feeling too deeply. Boys break girls hearts on purpose, and their bros call them ‘savage’ which is apparently a good thing to them? Sorry, but the saying “he’s mean to you because he likes you” just doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s all fun and games for boys, until their ego gets hurt when a girl just so happens to do something they might not like. How is it okay for boys to treat you poorly, but it’s not okay for you to do anything about it? The second girls figure out that no boy who treats them poorly is worth it, they are set free. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are definitely good guys out there, but when it comes to how the male species as a whole is perceived, well…”boys will be boys,” right? Wrong.