Your UnSlut Project

Submitted by @brianalillu

In 4th grade I remember there was this guy "Riley." Everyone, even his so called friends, bullied him and teased him because he was built big, kind of husky. They all thought they were just teasing him. Even the girls, they just were mean and rude to him. Unlike them, I watched his face every time someone tried to bring him down. He'd look like his voice was stripped away from him and I could see the hurt in his eyes.

While we were lining up to go back to class after lunch, I saw all the boys making rude remarks to him after he tried to give his opinion on something. I don't remember it much, but it looked like he wasn't enjoying it. I watched and didn't do anything. I already knew what had to be done. I was in the line first, and I whispered to one of my teachers that the boys were all bullying Riley, and that the girls do, too, sometimes.

She thanked me for saying something and a few days later, before we went to recess, she let Riley go ahead and lectured the whole class. She told us it wasn't all of us, just most of us. The bullying stopped, from what I could tell, after a few more lectures. Now I have more courage to stand up for people being victimized and to stand up for myself.

Years later, Riley said hi to me and he seemed happy to see me, and grateful. One time he asked if I remembered who he was. Of course I did, I don't forget people who have a big impact on my life.

A couple of years later, being sexually harassed once in a while was like the new normal for me because of my hourglass figure, I think, and because I had lots of guy friends. So I was pretty much used to dirty jokes - they don't bother me unless they are sexist, sometimes even racist.

I once was called a slut, by my crush's best friend. At the time, I was walking to the library by myself because my mom didn't feel like picking me up. I heard him yelling, "Hey (insert name here), there's your slut," in a joking manner about half a block away. I knew it had to be me because I didn't see anyone in front of me or around me, and it was common sense. I didn't take it too seriously, I just started to wonder about the true meaning of the word, because I had an idea, but people used it so often the meaning was thrown away.

I didn't understand why I, of all people, would be called that, or anyone for that matter. No one should be given such an ugly word and judged based on a few actions or appearance.

This was 6th grade. I didn't understand how I was a slut; I never even had a boyfriend. After a while my so called crush was dared to slap my butt by one of his even more idiotic friends. I, of course, at the time didn't know it, but they were honestly foolish to try anything on me.

I'm just walking on with my friend and out of nowhere, a hand slaps my buttock and I'm hearing a slapping noise, and seeing and hearing a laughing, running boy. I firstly stand there in shock because he was always so nice to me, and I start to chase after him after like 20 seconds and he's still running. I start running after him and catch up to him in like 5 seconds (what can I say, I'm a little athletic). He starts to pick up the pace, tries to run faster while turning, so that's what I do, too. I grab his bookbag and he's quick to defend himself, to tell me it was a dare. I ask by whom, and he says the idiotic friend. I stop him right in his tracks and push him off the sidewalk and he loses his balance on the street. I try to cross the street to get to my friend so we can resume walking, and there's his idiotic friend in the street with his fist up, trying to defend his friend. My instinct would be to defend myself, right? Right. I tried to kick him twice but missed, and left. Then he was yelling out curses in the middle of the street while holding onto a car for support.