19.
Didn’t hear a guy trying to talk to me one night as I was walking into Walmart with my face glued to my phone and he proceeded to call me a bitch and tell me he was gonna wait outside for me and rape me. Like why is that even necessary to say or feel is an appropriate response?
18.
Once, I left a party at 9 PM in (god forbid) a dress and heels. I was walking up NYC’s 5th ave in midtown by all the department stores, so everything around me was closed. This man in a suit came up from behind me and told me I was the most gorgeous girl he’d ever seen. I thanked him and kept walking. He said “I’m serious, I stopped my car for you” and motioned behind him where I noticed a car parked along the avenue. He asked me out and, feeling a little uncomfortable, I told him I had a boyfriend. He instantly became angry and screamed “No you don’t, you’re racist!” He continued yelling in my face for being a “racist” and backed me against the wall of one of the buildings. I was debating trying to run away in my heels before he had enough and went back to his car. For New York women: the Safe Trek app is great for moments like these. I use it when I walk alone at night ever since.
17.
I was at a club on my birthday and had a guy come up and try to dance with me. I danced with him for a minute or so and then when I was done, I stopped and walked away. I was sitting on a stage when he came back over to me, stood in between my legs and forcefully started kissing me. I yelled for him to get off and tried pushing him away. He tried to say stuff like “aww come on baby” “whats wrong” while still trying to touch me. seriously DISTURBING ! At that point I was screaming and cussing and shoving him off. He eventually gave up and walked off. Ive been called terrible names when rejecting a guy even when done nicely. Something also terrifying is when a guy is very very persistent perusing you after you’ve told him you’re not interested several times nicely and even after you’ve been mean about it.
16.
I was 23 years old at my sister’s bachelorette party. A large group of us were dancing in a bar and a man came up and put his arms around me and my sister. He was drunk and slurring his words, grabbing at both of our shoulders trying to pull us in closer. I brushed his arm off my shoulder at which point he backed off and had a surprised look on his face and retreated to the bar. A few minutes later he came back, circling the outside of our group, pointing at my sister and me. He was shouting words that I couldn’t make out because the music was too loud. Again he disappeared, until I felt a hand slide up my back and grab my neck. I spun around and pushed him as hard as I could, telling him not to touch me or my sister. Thankfully his friend saw what happened and pulled him away. The worst part was there was a bouncer standing next to our group, who did absolutely nothing. We left the bar immediately after, I still get sick to my stomach every time I drive past it.
15.
I’m 15. I just finished my first year of high school and I have been harassed like never before. But there’s this guy in particular who’s liked me since I was in 7th grade but I’ve never had the same feeling. I always have felt bad because I know the feeling of liking someone and them not liking you back, but I just don’t have those feelings for him. He’s asked me out almost every day of the school year. He has harassed my friends trying to get my phone number and told me that the amazing guy I’m dating now is shitty and will cheat on me. He invites me to go and get high with him and he gets aggressive when I tell him no. He called me a bitch when I told him that I’m not gonna go and take ecstasy with him and his friends. And he got so pissed off at me when he found out I started dating someone and called me a “lying whore” because when he asked about me and my boyfriend before we were dating I told him we were just friends (because we were just friends but then we both caught feelings) and after that I was scared to walk alone around campus. Like I wouldn’t leave class to go to the bathroom cuz I was scared I’d bump into him, I’d stay really close to my boyfriend at lunch, and I had my boyfriend walk me to my car after school. He made me so scared to be at school and even knowing that I could run into him in public is a little scary because I don’t know if he’s gonna start getting physically aggressive. I’m a strong woman and I can handle being called a bitch or a whore but I don’t know if I’d be able to handle getting hurt by him.