Boys WIll Be Accountable

I was 12 when a boy asked me to reach up to get something from a top shelf so that he and his friends could see up my skirt. I didn’t understand this at the time and I remember asking “why?” and how they all laughed. At 14 while on a school trip the boys peeped into the girls showers and after that we had to stand guard for each other to make sure it didn’t happen again. I remember being pinched on the bum, boys talking about my boobs, cat calling on the street, the “accidental” brushes against my breasts in crowded places and so many other moments of sexual harassment, objectification and sexism I encountered throughout my life as a female. The funny thing is that I am considered one of the lucky ones. Compared to many other women my experiences were mild. The fact I felt “lucky” led me to realise that as a society we see all of the above as part of the female experience. We can’t imagine a world in which women/girls don’t have to deal with this. We’ve subconsciously accepted that the objectification of the female body is inevitable, because ‘boys will be boys’ and they simply can’t help themselves - we’ve been brainwashed to believe it is a genetic disposition so there is very little point in trying to change it. But it is all a big fat lie. It’s not a genetic default, it’s a learnt behaviour and it is encouraged by social norms that let boys off the hook. In other words - it can totally be changed. It’s not girls who need to change their behaviour, it’s boys. People focus on educating girls to be strong, smart etc but very few realise that in order for things to change, what we need to do is educate boys! Boys need to know that they are accountable for their actions, that there are consequences, they need to be taught respect, consent and equality. Nothing will change until this happens. As many in this community are parents and because I think education starts at home, I’d like to encourage parents of boys to make this a mission. I urge you to do what you can to ensure future generations don’t have to accept this type of behaviour. We CAN literally change the world, for ourselves, our friends and our daughters 🙏🏻❤️ #love