A third year on my course asked for contributions to
her magazine on the topic of gender. I’d recently noticed the hashtag #WhenIWas
on Twitter and thought it would make for an interesting read. Here it is…
Illustration: Myself & Beth Bowman
When I was 7, I was asked why I didn’t wear dresses to
school ‘like the other girls’. When I was 10, a classmate groped my breasts in
the playground. When I was 13, I was told I couldn’t wear a bikini on a school
trip because it would be too distracting for my male classmates. When I was 14,
boys would try putting their hands up my school skirt. When I was 17, I was
told I had to vote because women died
in order to give me that right. When I was 18, I felt a pair of unwanted hands
grab my bum while dancing in a club. When I was 19, a co-worker called me a
slut because I was confident enough to date, yet had only slept with four guys.
When I was 20, I was told ‘come on, you know you want to’ in response to
turning down sex.
This is just my story.
The hashtag #WhenIWas recently hit Twitter, taking a
spot on the national trending list. Women from around the world revealed their
most personal ‘Everyday Sexism’ experiences, with many telling appalling
stories of sexual harassment. What
surprised me the most was the young age at which many women had suffered from
these experiences, more unbelievably so, from figures of authority and trust
such as teachers, priests and security guards.
Part of me is grateful that my experiences haven’t
been as violent or upsetting as others that I have read. But why should I be
grateful that I have only been
groped, that I’ve only been told what
to wear, that I’ve only been
pressured in to sex, as if this is considered normal in a girls’ life, or
somehow acceptable?
When seeking friends’ advice for this article, I was
met with the suggestion of discussing how Yorkie had to change their slogan:
‘IT’S NOT FOR GIRLS’ as a ‘point on how sexism isn’t as bad as it was’. If
changing the slogan of a chocolate bar is a milestone in the ongoing struggle
against sexism, then we are clearly not moving forward at the pace required.
Campaigns such as #WhenIWas are crucial in raising
awareness around the issues of sexism. Despite the serious undertone of the
hashtag, I love that it encourages women to speak about their experiences on
such a public platform, uniting women and offering support worldwide, while
also educating those who don’t believe that sexism is a significant topic.
Aderyn Holt
