I want to tell you a story from about a year and a half ago. It's about a time in which I was labeled as a "slut" by one of my coworkers. Why was I called a slut? Did I sleep with him? Did I sleep with other coworkers? Did I even sleep with anyone? No. (Spoiler Alert: I'm actually still a virgin.)

So why was I labeled as a slut? Turns out, this so called "friend" of mine called me a slut for being nice to other people. Weird right? I know. Turns out that in today's society you cannot be friendly to others without being labeled something such as a slut, whore, etc.

Why do these labels exist? Why are friendly girls labeled as sluts and quiet girls labeled as prudes? Why is having sex with other people seen as something girls should be ashamed of, whereas guys should be glorified? Why can't I be friends with multiple guys without being called a slut? Why can't I be a virgin without being called a prude? Why do we categorize everything?

To this day, I am still afraid to try and become friends with some of my coworkers without being called something negative. I'm worried about the clothing I wear and how it affects how I am perceived by others. But I do not want to live that way. I don't want to be worried about whether my skirt is too short, or my pants are too long. I don't want to be seen as "asking for it" if I am wearing a dress that shows off my curves, or "matronly" for wearing a long skirt. I want to be free to wear what I want, when I want, without having to worry how it affects people's perception of me.

Let's stop labeling others. Let's move past that and into a new society that recognizes people as equals. We live in a world that people should not have to worry about what they wear or who they talk to. They should free to be themselves; their wonderfully, unique selves.