Woman Recalls Being Put On 'Ranking List' In High School By Her Male Classmates & The School Did Nothing To Punish Them
What will it take for school districts to implement protections and safeguards against bullying?
Legenda, Bricolage / Shutterstock.com Over 30 percent of high school girls have reported being bullied at school. It becomes normalized with off-hand comments, glares, and even social posts mocking girls for simply being that — women.
One woman, Pheveya, took to TikTok to share her high school bullying experience, vowing never to “keep silent” about what happened.
A woman recalled being put on a 'ranking list' by her male classmates and the school did nothing to punish them.
The Yarra Valley Grammar school, a seemingly “elite” private school in Melbourne, Australia, recently made headlines for expelling several boys who took part in a “ranking list” of female classmates at their school.
The private school’s principal, Dr. Mark Merry, called the boys’ actions “disgraceful,” adding, “The young women in this case need to know that we took this seriously. They need to know that these things have consequences.”
Sadly, there are thousands of cases being overlooked in districts with other victims, including those from decades ago, that still burden women struggling to heal.
Pheveya is one of those women. She shared that her school “did nothing” to protect her from the endless bullying from male classmates despite knowing all about it. “I’m going to finally share my story, in hopes that it helps other young teenagers out there going through high school whilst being degraded and devalued by boys.”
Phevaya said they made her life ‘miserable’ for years without consequence from the school.
Bullying has been shown to heighten feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety in victims. In the long term, if unaddressed, victims can struggle with self-esteem issues that impact how they navigate everyday life.
“I was put on a list very similar to the one published in the news today,” Phevaya explained, referring to the Yarra Valley case. “The list from the news today ranked girls from wifey-material, hot, mid, to un-[expletive] at the bottom. In my experience, I was put on a list under the category, slut.”
“I was a virgin. I was a child. I was a baby,” she said. “I was tormented, humiliated, bullied, harassed, and emotionally abused by a group of boys for three years.”
“Three ambulances were called to my school for me between years 11 and 12 due to people finding me unconscious in the school bathroom because of the effects of these boys. I’d pass out due to stress, anxiety, depression, not eating, not sleeping…while being told ‘boys will be boys,’ and that there was nothing they could do.”
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Her school’s only response after three years — even after she told the school counselor everything — was to keep her from graduating due to “a lack of attendance” over fear of coming to school. Years later, after periods of being bedridden, on antidepressants, and severely underweight, she confessed her life was forever altered by the bullying she’d experienced.
“I know how often this [expletive] happens, and I’m not surprised … there should be harsher punishments for bullies at high schools,” she added, stressing that victims often bear the burden of protecting themselves while schools protect bullies with poor punishments and excuses.
Protecting girls and young women in schools is essential.
Not only have young girls been affected by the rise in “incel culture” perpetuated by online public figures like Andrew Tate, but female teachers also report being the brunt of misogyny — both institutionally from staff and from their students. U.K.-based teachers unions reported concerns over this growing cultural shift — adamantly searching for safeguards for teachers and students who’ve become victims of sexual harassment, bullying, and misogynistic environments at school.
Especially considering the impact social media has on younger generations, cyberbullying is a serious concern that can't be ignored because it happens off school grounds.
It’s essential that educational institutions and school districts implement new safeguards to protect students from ever becoming victims of bullying in the first place.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.