The article said that the photos and full names of Grade 11 and 12 girls were taken from their Facebook profiles to create a web site that asked people online to vote whether they’d like to have sex with these students or not. The site enabled those who visited to click “bang,” indicating that they would like to have sex with that female student, or click “nope.” Votes were tallied.
When this story was published in April, the web site was shut down, but my heart still went out to the up to 60 targeted girls. I was shocked and couldn’t quite comprehend why one person or a group of people would create this site. I began to ask myself how they would feel and react if their sisters, mothers, daughters, cousins or girlfriends were judged in this way.
Throughout my entire subway ride I thought about how those girls must have felt. Myself, I would have been angry and embarrassed.
Mainly, I would have felt uncomfortable in my own school. It is hard enough being a teenager. I graduated high school last year, and I remember those four years being tough at times.
Scripture says, “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Still, attending a co-ed high school has more cons than pros because female students are constantly being judged by the opposite sex. As much as we try not to care about how others perceive us, it’s still at the back of our minds, constantly creeping in.
I remember being late for school sometimes just because it would take me an extra 20 minutes to do my hair and makeup. I wanted to look good, not for myself but for others.
As I continued to read the article, I was happy to learn that the girls were taking a stand by informing their school principal, parents and contacting the police.
These young girls took matters into their own creative hands by making posters about equality and women’s rights to hang in their school’s hallways.
As I reached my subway stop, I felt the need to inform others about what had happened at Sacred Heart. I pictured myself and my close right back in high school. I wanted not only to be an informative voice but also one that would encourage and motivate young girls today.
As females, we need to continue to fight for respect and never let a measly, mean-spirited site try to get the better of us. After all, the only judgment we should ever care about is God’s.
(Florez, 18, is a part-time employee of The Catholic Register.)