“Boys Will Be Boys” is a cliché which has long been used to excuse negative male behavior. Sadly it goes beyond just justifying a minor passing phase that will eventually be grown out of. At times it becomes a justification for sexual harassment and rape.
“Boys Will Be Boys” is a tune off of Australian indie singer Stella Donnelly 2017 debut EP (2018 release in North America) Thrush Metal.
On the song’s YouTube video page, Donnelly made the following statement: “Boys Will Be Boys is my attempt at making sense of society’s tendency to blame the victims of sexual assault and rape and make excuses for the perpetrators. It was also my way of dealing with certain events that were occurring in my life at the time.”
Poignant lyrics include “Your father told you that you’re innocent / Told ya, “Women rape themselves” and “Why was she all alone / Wearing her shirt that low.”
When women are raped, there is a tendency to blame the victim for what she was wearing or for putting herself in a vulnerable position. The perpetrator is resolved of responsibility because of the fallacy that the victim shouldn’t have put herself in the position to be victimized.
Donnelly goes on to express a desire that the song and video “will open up difficult yet important conversations between family members, friends, government bodies, organisations and most importantly, boys and men.”
Society needs to call bullshit on the toxic “Boys Will Be Boys” mentality.