When I was seven yo, a boy from our (first) grade dropped me off from a high jungle gym. I fell down, hurt myself and bit my tooth through my lip. I went to see our school nurse and got well nurtured. But when I told her what had happened, she explained to me that I should actually see that it was a nice thing, because” now I know that somebody likes me”.
-Now at 26, I suddenly realize how very horrible and idiotic that was. Back then, “understanding” that made me feel nauseate but obviously thinking that its true when she says so.
When I was at fifth grade, being 11 yo, boys at our class had a paper going round where they ranked girls based on how their “breasts” looked everyday. Mine where reputedly too small, so i bought filling for my top after a while.
– Too small for child? I wonder now, if my breasts wouldn’t have later grew to be big enough for their scale, would I now have implants and scars on my upper body..
Same year boys started to slap girls butts constantly during breaks and trying to pull our underpants up. When I had an argument, I don’t remember about what, on that same year with one of those slapping boys, he called me a whore. I had heard that word many times already, so I knew what it meant. I had also heard a word gigolo recently from TV, and I remember how it stick to my mind like an absurd idea “a man can also be a whore?”. I then insulted that boy back.
Weird thing that happened then was that I, who had been insulted first, didn’t even realize there was something I as a girl could or should go and report to teacher about. But the boy obviously felt big shock and unjust to be called like that, even though he was the one who started it, so he went and told the teacher.
The most absurd thing with this incident was, when I think about it now and also was to me back then, that only I had detention. The male teacher was furious that I used that word, wanted to know where I had heard that word from, and made me swear I won’t use that word again. He explained to me that it is different from the word whore because whore is a common and normal word.
I guess that was the second time I realized that this system is unjust.
The first time was a one year before when fourth grade started. Girls were supposed to start knitting-classes and boys to start woodcraft-classes. I asked to start woodcraft instead of knitting and was then told by teachers it’s not acceptable because I’m a girl. It would have though been acceptable for boys to attend knitting-classes from time to time, if some would so want.
My great parents had to come to school to request it in person for me before the male principal took it into consideration and year after that granted me right to attend woodcraft-classes. In that condition though, that I would still continue to take knitting -classes too..
My gosh, this was in turn of the millennium and in Nordic country,