When I was a little girl, I could not wait for guys to notice me, to find me attractive and to check me out. I wanted to be found appealing. Now that I am older and I got my wish, I don’t want it anymore.

I am more than long legs, more than curly brown hair. I am more than my big brown eyes and more than a straight-toothed smile. I am more than just a pretty face.

Compliments are wonderful; they can be used to lift others up and bring a smile to someone’s face. However, when it gets to the point where a line is crossed and someone starts to feel like a piece of meat at the market, there is a problem.

It is only natural to find people attractive; this is not the issue. The problem comes when your first instinct is to explore them physically rather than emotionally. You don’t have to get super deep, but you can something as simple as their favorite color or their middle name. Physical interaction (yeah, we’re talking about sex) without an emotional connection can leave someone feeling cheap, used and undesirable. As humans, we want to be viewed as more than attractive play toys; we want someone to talk to, to connect with. Not to fumble around with and then leave.

Society needs to stop looking at people as though they are objects. We all have emotions and we all want to be desirable, but we want to be appreciated as well. This is an important lesson for everyone to apply to their lives. This is not only a call for men to stop objectifying women, but also for women to stop objectifying men. Why do we degrade ourselves and each other in that way? Using people solely for their bodies and not even stopping to consider what their mind or personality may offer is insulting to them, as well as to ourselves. How can we be so shallow?

Society has gotten a little lost, but meaningless sexual interaction is not going to solve any problems, nor will it fill any void. Respecting one another and appreciating each other for the people we are inside our bodies is what is important.

People are not objects, and weare not toys to play with without any consequences. We are taught in school from a young age how to practice “safe sex,” which addresses only the physical aspects of sex and the need for physical protection while the emotional aspect is lost in the background. If we want to be the very best that we can be, we need to stop emotionally breaking each other and degrading each other by using each other as objects. Start being more concerned with someone's personality, rather than only what pleasure their body can provide for you.

There is nothing wrong with sex; this is not to suggest that it is evil and taboo. What I am saying is that sex becomes a problem when it is shallow and emotionless, objectifying the other person for your own pleasure. Take some pride in yourself and appreciate others; realize what they can offer to the world. I’m glad we had this talk about sex.