Your UnSlut Project

Submitted by @hey_girlie

I started high school a year ago. I can't say I love it, but can't say I hate it. High school is just mediocre. There are four high schools in my town to choose from. One is Catholic, one is new, and the another is really far from my house. That left one option.

The unique part about my school is that it has no dress code. Your shorts are never too short, your shirt is never too low. As long as you aren't strutting down the hall in your underwear, the principal doesn't care. For teenage girls like me, this is heaven. Not because we're all "sluts," but because we like being able to wear what we want and not having to worry about how many fingers thick our shirt straps are.

To the boys, this was a completely different matter. On my first day of high school, I was pretty much alone. I wore what I wanted. My old friends were never very nice to begin with, so I didn't really hang out with them. I met a nice girl, let's call her Emma. Emma and I became pretty close; she introduced me to her friends and her boyfriend. We had a lot in common.

But her boyfriend Ben wasn't as he looked. Whenever Emma wasn't there, he was always brushing up against me or smiling at me weirdly. I confronted him several times, but he denied everything and called me "horny." I tried to ignore it the best I could, because he and Emma were really cute together and I didn't want to ruin it for her. I thought he was probably joking.

It started to get worse. He would make comments about my clothes. One time, he complimented my legs in a pair of shorts. It was becoming kind of scary. He told me he needed to talk to me, so I went into a stairwell alone with him. There, he told me I was, "So crazy sexy," and put a hand on my butt. I ran away from him, but didn't say anything.

He started to do it when Emma was around. I could sense how uncomfortable she felt. She asked me what was up between me and Ben, and I said "nothing." She wouldn't have believed me anyways.

But she said that she saw him looking at me, and told me to spill the beans. I did. She sat quietly through the whole thing, not saying a word until I finished. She stared at me, with no emotion on her face. "Slut," she whispered, and slapped my face, hard. I was so surprised, I just stood there. When she was gone, I broke down.

I may get to wear whatever I want at school, but I make sure my jeans fit right and my shirt is far from low. Emma and I aren't friends anymore, and she and Ben are still dating, a year later. I found new friends.

"Slut" shaming is not okay. I was not bullied as badly as most of the stories in this book. But I realize now that the way Ben acted around me was not okay. I still don't think Emma believes me, and honestly, I couldn't care less. She can have him.

Learn more about The UnSlut Project at http://www.unslutproject.com and watch the short video below: