When I Was...
When I was Five, I was told boys 'teasing' me meant they liked me. When I Eight, I was told that the little boy pulling my hair and making crude comments about me meant that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. When I was Ten, I started wearing bras, making me a shiny, bright, new object of boy’s and men’s affection. At Twelve, I was told that being a daughter meant that I was supposed to act “lady-like”, to cross my legs, wear pretty clothes, and to “ALWAYS let the boys call you first”. When I was Fourteen, I was called bossy by my peers when the boys were called leaders. At Sixteen, I was worried more about how to cut my hair and which skirt looked nicer rather than the strength of my education. When I was Seventeen, I was more focused on the future I could build with my boyfriend and what our children would look like, rather than what I could build with my aspirations. At Eighteen, I am told to be a lady, but also to not be afraid to “rough it up” with the boys. I am told I sh...