Even though this boy was charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, I was still the one being called slut, whore, liar, porn star, etc.

My story may be found to be different than most others on this website, but I could not pass up an opportunity to share one of the most important events that has shaped me into the woman I am now. I was in middle school when the name calling started. Slut, whore, hoe, etc. were all things I was used to hearing my name associated with. It was strange, however, because until the 9th grade I had never even done anything but kiss a boy. I am a cheerleader, dancer and very outgoing. All of which brought on jealousy from other girls and sexual thoughts from the boys. However, this is not what I was aiming for. My passion was cheerleading and just because I wore a tight skirt or liked to dance at parties did not make me a "whore". What supposedly did make me a "whore" was the casual sex I enjoyed having throughout my junior and senior year of high school. I stayed safe, used protection and always knew the person I was engaging in sexual activities with. Or so I thought. My senior year I was involved with a friend of mine who had always been dating a different girl that I wasn't so fond of. But, that didn't stop me because I started to really like this kid. We would go out, get drunk, have sex and I would wake up the next morning and not remember anything. That was okay, though... Right? Wrong. After rumors flew of a "sex tape" my boyfriend and I had supposedly made, things went downhill... Fast. We broke up, he went back to his ex-girlfriend, and there I was again, lonely with rumors flying. This seemed to be a pattern in my life, but I gave the rumors no attention. I had never made a sex tape! Until November 15th of 2013, when my ex boyfriend showed his entire class the tape, pictures of me and other girls he had saved on his phone. Not until a friend confronted me about why I had been "lying" did it all hit me. The next few days, the story was on local news, his mugshot was being displayed on everyone's phone, and my school had even put together an "anti-sexting" video to show district wide. I had drunkenly and unknowingly "made a sex tape" with a boy that I trusted. Someone who had told me they loved me over and over again. Someone who was a friend. The worst part is that even though this boy was charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor to the 2nd and 3rd Degree, I was still the one being called slut, whore, liar, porn star, etc. He had completely taken advantage of me and I was the one being blamed for his arrest. This has haunted me to this day and I will always feel some sort of guilt for what happened, because I never wanted to get him into any sort of legal trouble. I was completely unaware of what had even happened. I wanted to share my story, because sex shaming is something that needs to be addressed and every woman who has faced this issue deserves to be heard. We stand together. - Stevie Little