At 13 I realized that people shame girls just for existing on their own terms.

In 6th grade, my friends and I targeted a girl who was more physically developed than we were. We came up with “Slut Ho Alert,” abbreviated as “SHA.” We’d hiss it at her as she walked by for the whole school year. Then I developed a bit more, and my fashion took a turn for the goth. Girls began spreading rumors about me having sex for money. Boys threw dollars at me once and called me “whore” whenever I wore fishnets. At 13 I realized that people shame girls just for existing on their own terms.