Not a day passes when I do not worry for my own safety.
Specifically, I mean that I always worry for my own safety because I am absolutely scared of being hurt by people with nothing more than just cruel thoughts in their heads.
It has been about five months since I graduated from high school, and my current college experience is quite nice.
I like being granted this freedom to do things on my own, such as driving, getting my own gas, buying my own necessities and whatnot. I enjoy it!
But throughout each of these things I do, I always fear for my own well-being.
I am terrified of getting harassed or worse, God forbid.
I cannot get my own gas without holding pepper spray near me, without rushing back to the car and locking it just because a man nearby buying gas staggers because of how drunk he is.
I could not close my previous home’s gate peacefully without getting catcalled and whistled at by someone who drove by. I was 12.
I cannot listen and visibly sing along to my songs in my own car without getting stared at by a driver in a lane next to me while waiting for the stop light to turn green. I could not even pretend to ignore the situation because I was moments away from getting recorded, if not saved by the light turning green. This was just a month ago.
I cannot order a meal at McDonald’s in shorts in the summer heat at over 100 degrees without having a man sit next to me and stare at me, constantly inching toward me while I did my best to avoid him.
“Well, what were you wearing?” and “They did not do anything to you. Why are you judging?” are a few of the many phrases I have heard from people (even my own family members) in response to me expressing my frustration toward the things I have experienced. And I am sick of hearing it.
Throughout these incidents, I have always been covered up. Not once was I ever “asking for it.”
Why should I wait for something to happen to me for me to decide that the person had harmful thoughts toward me?
I am exhausted from having to “cover up” when I am wearing appropriate clothing. My clothes are not an invitation for you to harass me. Nothing I wear is an invitation for anyone to take advantage of me, or look at me in a promiscuous way.
I am exhausted from constantly fearing for my life. This should not even be one of my worries.
And it’s not just me going through these incidents, either. It’s a majority of women going through moments of nonstop harassment and catcalling. Not even celebrities are an exception to this.
In an 1998 interview with television host David Letterman, Jennifer Aniston was being disturbed by none other than Letterman himself. The interview as a whole was disturbing to see, especially when Letterman had no respect for Aniston’s personal space, getting mere centimeters from her face while putting her hair in his mouth. He even went as far as grabbing her back and believe it or not, he made her apologize for his own wrongdoing.
This was in public. This was live, with people being able to access and see it, and he had the audacity to harass her in that way. Imagine if it was not a live incident.
If that does not give you chills, I don’t know what to tell you.
In no situation, ever, should anyone live in constant fear of being harassed or assaulted.
