We all went to school, thinking that we looked pretty. We all left school, thinking we did something wrong. This has happened at my school more than once. Normal crop tops, undergarment showing or shorts shorter than mid tights are forbidden. Supposedly, this applies for girls and boys. Realistically, it applies only to us girls.
It was a casual day and we were sitting outside in 35 degrees celsius and burning sun. My friend had worn a tank top with cut out sides. Her bralette was visible but her bra strap wasn't. Suddenly, a figure approached us and sat at our table.

"Hey girls, how are you doing?" she asked, only out of politeness. "I wanted to talk to you about a serious issue that has been occurring lately. Our dress code."

We all rolled our eyes, knowing what would come.

"I have seen all of you wearing clothing that is inappropriate for school. For example, the shirt you are wearing, completely inappropriate. Could you please wear a sweater for the rest of the day? Listen up; I hope that y'all are not just wearing these things to impress boys. You're distracting them from learning, also male teachers have complained about inappropriate clothes."

What she said hit me like a punch in the gut. She was accusing us of keeping all males in the school distracted and she continuously told us that it was our fault.

This is not a world I want to be a girl in. It's a world where male teachers three times my age get to look at me and tell me my butt is hanging out of my shorts or where teachers stare like hawks to try and find something inappropriate. Instead of teaching guys to behave respectfully and not stare at us, they're telling us that we are the issue and that we need to stop.

But apparently, when guys show us their underwear or butt crack it's completely ok. I was told off for showing my belly button when I lifted my hands. Five minutes later, a male student did the same thing and half of his underwear and stomach was flashed to the entire class. Instead of telling him off, the teacher giggled and remarked "I just won't look at him". Boom... Inequality and sexism in one scenario.

I'm sick and tired of being sexualized and being used as an object that distracts guys. In school, we are told to cover up because we are keeping the boys from learning.

They tell us, it's equal for everyone. They lie to us and say it's for our own good. They accuse us of showing off too much leg.

But me, I am done with being accused. I am done with being sexualized. I'm especially done with someone else telling me to cover up my own body, because I am supposedly distracting boys. I want to be treated as an equal and not as an object that shows off too much leg. I want to be in charge of my own body and wear a crop top as I please.

So as a result, I want to reach out to everyone out there who is being told that they distract people and who want to wear what they want but can't, because someone else is telling you what is right and wrong. Speak up for yourselves, because I am and I hope it will make a change in a world that is far from reaching equality. A world that is objectifying girls and taking our rights of wearing what we want, away.