\nEditor\u2019s Note: Video tape of GOP Presidential candidate boasting of sexual assault on women has sparked a national conversation around the issue. For 15-year-old Juliana Taboada, catcalling by male classmates in and around school is an extension of the often demeaning treatment of women in our society.
\nI\u2019d always wondered if my school was as safe as I thought it was. At 15, I\u2019m still growing up and pretty innocent. I know there are many things wrong with our schools, but there\u2019s one issue that needs to be addressed now. That issue is catcalling and the over-sexualization of young women.
\nEarlier this month, I was verbally harassed by 3-4 boys at school. I was walking to my fifth period class, and as I was walking I saw these boys in a group pointing and staring at me. I knew what was going to happen. I\u2019ve been catcalled once before, but this time it was different. No one was there to help me, to tell them they\u2019re disgusting. I was alone.
\nIt felt like these boys took complete ownership of my body and I couldn\u2019t do anything about it.
\nNow, since it happened so recently, I\u2019m still terrified of just walking to class. It\u2019s a sad thing knowing that I\u2019m not even safe in my own school, in a place that\u2019s supposed to work for me, to benefit me.
\nI never thought such horrible behavior would be within the borders of schools, but I guess I\u2019m wrong. Even freshman boys know how to objectify young women. They don\u2019t realize the amount of damage they do by just whistling at me or commenting on my body. It\u2019s a harsh reality women have to deal with and can\u2019t escape. In all honesty, even though it pains me to say this, catcalling is inevitable for women.
\nIt\u2019s even worse to to know that I\u2019m only 15 years old and I\u2019ve experienced the over-sexualization of women.
\nBut it\u2019s sadly not new, I was taught at a young age that I need to cover up my body and always be attentive of my surroundings, even at school. My schools have told me to dress a certain way, with lists of clothing I could not wear but only a couple things boys couldn\u2019t wear. I knew the playing field was uneven but it was never a big deal before. I always thought if I wore something too \u201crisky\u201d I would call unwanted attention upon myself and it was my fault, not theirs.
\nBut I was wrong.
\nI now know that regardless of what I\u2019m wearing, you should have the decency and respect to leave me alone. I\u2019m not your property. Catcallers have absolutely no right to yell at me from the sidelines and expect me to acknowledge them.
\nI\u2019m a young woman, I\u2019m a person. And it\u2019s about time I start getting treated like one.
\nJuliana Taboada is a local Xicana poet and community activist from Mecca, Calif. She currently attends Desert Mirage High School and recently joined Coachella Unincorporated as a youth reporter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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