The boys in my grade take off their shirts when we go outside. The girls in my grade have had to change or even gotten sent home for wearing shorts/skirts that didn't reach their fingertips, jeans with holes in the knee, leggings without a shirt that covered their butt, and for having a bra strap or shoulder showing. Meanwhile, the boys weren't even reprimanded.

     This is a problem. We are telling young girls that it is more important for boys to have a "distraction-free" learning environment than for girls to get and education. We are teaching boys that it is okay to ogle girls in "too revealing" of clothing, because it is their fault for wearing it.

     The true problem here is that the girls are being blamed for boys' inability to control themselves. Boys are allowed to whistle and make rude comments about a girl's clothing and body, and it gets passed off as "boys will be boys." NO! Boys have to understand that this is not okay, and should not be tolerated in qqany way. No matter if you are male or female, you are still a human being. If you refuse to treat others like human beings, then you yourself forfeit your right to respect.

     Unfortunately, this is not what usually happens. If a girl reports harassment from a peer, oftentimes authority figures will blame it on her. It is her fault because she chose to wear shorter shorts. It is her fault because she wore a lower-cut shirt. It is, in essence, her fault that the perpetrator lacks the ability to grant her basic human rights. This is happening all of the time in our society, and it is a problem that needs to be fixed.