I am that girl. I am the girl who comes to class every day dressed to the nines with my hair done and pearls on. Without fail, you can find me in public dressed nicely, and I have no shame. Though 90 percent of college students enjoy making fun of girls like this who "aren't comfortable in their own skin so they have to look nice everyday," it actually has nothing to do with that. For me, I dress nicely, because I simply want to. I dress nicely for me. No, this doesn't mean I am high-maintenance, it just means that I enjoy dressing up. I was raised to always put my best foot forward, and that's what I do.

I have been accused of dressing nice for the opposite sex as well, and this infuriates me more than anything. Last week during my sorority's rush, I went to Kennesaw's Commons with a few of my sisters. Of course, I was dressed nice in my wedges and lettered shirt, and I was feeling good about myself until I ran into a table of young men. As I was walking back with my (fifth) plate of food, a group of young "gentlemen" were inconspicuously eyeing me. I couldn't help but get upset, because they weren't the reason I was dressing up, and they weren't even trying to hide how they felt about me. I finally moved after getting sick of their loud "hey babe" and "looking good, sexy" comments.

My body is not for anyone else but me. It is appalling men can be so bombastic to say those remarks to someone else. For those thinking "that's just how guys are" and "that's what guys do," it is no excuse for how to treat women. For those thinking I shouldn't have worn something appealing to the opposite sex, I didn't dress that way for them. No person, man or woman, should alter how they dress or act based on how the opposite sex will behave. Single-minded thinking like this leads to persecution which in then turns to victim-blaming.

Though it may seem like a far-step to take, the kind of behavior and entitlement those young men were showing is what leads to rape. America's society has been accused countless of times for hyper-sexualizing women. Though most people don't see it as brainwashing, repeated exposure to certain elements do have their effects on people. For example, men can start feeling entitled to women's bodies after seeing countless hours of men cat-calling women and then getting the girl. To think they had the right to talk to me in such a degrading way is nothing but entitlement, no matter which way it is looked at. Furthermore, the advances they said towards me wasn't allowed nor appreciated. If I want to walk down the road in a bikini, I should do so without fear of persecution from either sex and without fear of sexual advances, whether it be verbal or physical. It is my body, and I don't care if you want it now. Life isn't a J.G. Wentworth commercial.