As a 17-year-old girl I feel as though we are constantly looked down upon because our choice of summer wardrobe and the negative attention it could get.

We almost always have to think, “Is this too skimpy? Or will someone say something disturbing to me if they saw me?” But it’s summer time; girls, whether they are Bermudian or just visiting want to walk around in their bathing suits and shorts and feel comfortable.

That’s why it is so unfortunate to know that they are being made uncomfortable by offensive and somewhat sexually intended comments from men of any age.

We can’t even feel comfortable catching the bus in swimsuits because you never know who will be at the bus stop or on the bus and what they will say or the look they may give you that could instantly give you a chill of discomfort.

At my age we are dressing now with our own style and our own preferences. It is how we express ourselves but this becomes hard when there are men out there degrading us by the way they perceive us.

They can’t get pass what they see on the outside to respect who we are on the inside, as human beings.

We shouldn’t have to teach girls to cover up, we should be teaching boys how to have respect for each and every person, no matter what they look like.