What you said

For the longest time I held with the greatest conviction, my belief that 'girls do not use the F- word'. It just seemed so fantastical! The very idea of hearing such a word from a female's mouth was absolutely blasphemous to me. It is no surprise therefore that when I first heard a close female friend utter the word in a very matter-of-fact manner as if were the most casual thing in the world, I was totally scandalized. My reaction was one of disbelief with widened eyes and raised brows, followed immediately by a pretence of not being surprised at all, later followed by shock and then utter dismay in the sinking realization that my convictions had been so hugely misplaced. Even so, it took me some time to get comfortable with the fact. This was in 8th grade I think. I remember thinking to myself about why I had been so wrong. Had I been living in a false world of shitty beliefs that I had cooked up for myself? Was it the way I had been brought up? Had I lost an iota of repect for the opposite sex? I don't know. But i think it did teach me to question myself.

+