So let me get this straight: When I get assaulted, the issue is that I have the audacity to talk about it later? The problem isn’t the men that are touching me, the problem is ME for telling people about it?
Let me set the record straight to all my haters: In no way am I bragging about being “desired," because the truth is, it's not about that. Men who sexually harrass women aren't looking for a wonderful woman to settle down with; they're looking for opportunities. They're looking for the girl on the street alone and the one without a male partner at the club. They aren’t looking at ME; they're just looking at what I represent.
And this isn't just about me; this kind of sh*t happens every.
single. day. (Case in point: The
viral video of the woman who used a hidden camera to film 10 hours of her walking around New York City, as men walk up next to her, stroll creepily beside her, and yell out unwanted "compliments" to her.) In no way is this flattering to her and in no way do I find it flattering when it happens to me; it's frustrating, degrading, objectifying, and in many instances, scary.
Yet apparently I can’t talk about it, because then I’m just humble bragging.
And that makes me sad. It makes me sad that our society is currently a place where men can say (and sometimes do) whatever they want to women and we're supposed to take that as a compliment of our worthiness. But how worthy should we feel when we're not allowed to feel like we deserve respect? It makes me sad that I was assaulted and I shouldn’t talk about it and that I'm made to feel like I should "just be thankful" the dude found me attractive enough to assault me in the first place.
