Two of my friends and I were walking to my car from a music festival downtown. It was close to 9 p.m,, still light out. I was walking ahead of them, and at one point, I turned around to talk to them. It was then that I saw two huge, older men jogging down the sidewalk, coming right at us. I thought nothing of it, maybe they were in a rush to get somewhere. I turned back around and kept walking, but then I began hearing yelling behind us. I turned back around to see these men a few steps behind my friends, trying to get their attention by yelling and saying obscene things to them. They were blatantly talking about my friends, saying things about their physical appearance, and as you can imagine, it was absolutely vulgar to hear what they had to say.

I became livid. How dare these men talk to my friends like this? How dare they feel they have the right to say these things about their bodies? I turned around one more time and I locked eyes with my friends. Their faces frozen, eyes wide, bodies tense. One of them said to me, "Sarah, go."

So we sped walked into the closest grocery store parking lot, only to find that they had followed us into the parking lot, and then walked into the store as if nothing had happened. We kept walking, silenced and in shock as we thought to ourselves about what had just happened.

This specific instance of catcalling has infuriated me on so many levels. For one, these men thought there was nothing wrong with the way they talked to my friends. And even if they did, they didn't care. This is one of the main reasons why I consider myself a feminist-- because there are still people out there who feel that they are superior to others to the point where they can harass them on the street and have no consequence. It literally sickens me that there are people out there who do not view human life equally. This is just one example of gender inequality and is a clear red flag that there is still so much that we have to teach our society about.

Another factor of this story that infuriates me was how frightened I was. There are many people who have tried to tell me that catcalling is a compliment, that I shouldn't take offense to it, that I shouldn't overreact. There have been plenty of times where if I'm feeling disrespected, or if one of my friends is, I'll stand up to whoever is touching or speaking in a way that I don't like. This situation was completely different. I literally froze internally; I was terrified of what was going to happen. I didn't know if they were going to try to follow us, if they were going to try to get physical with us, or if they were going to do something worse. These were two full grown, older men harassing three college-aged women.

What terrified me even more was that I wanted to speak out against them, tell them how rude it was and how they had no right to speak to my friends the way they were, but I didn't. I didn't say anything because I didn't know how they would react. Would they come at us? Did they have a weapon on them? With the Brock Turner case and the recent shootings, I've been on high alert and on edge. I don't feel safe; I feel like I can't walk down a street without having my heart rate spike, and that's something that speaks volumes. I was terrified to stand up for my friends, for myself, because I didn't know what these two men were capable of. It was evident that they didn't respect us, what would stop them from hurting us?

What may be the most infuriating part of this whole experience is that when I got to my car and tried to digest what happened, my friends brushed it off as if it was no big deal. They even joked about how upset I was. Maybe it was their way of dealing with the experience, maybe they really didn't care, but either way there is something wrong with that picture. We have been taught as a society to internalize everything that happens to us, especially with cases of catcalling or even sexual assault, anything with the sexualization of ourselves for that matter. If it's anything that's going to make us uncomfortable and actually think critically about life, the general public tends to just brush it under the rug. I look at our society and how we deal with these accounts, and I am sickened. We are shamed into not talking about it, our experiences and how we feel about it, being told we should be flattered that these men noticed us and wanted to talk about us.

I'm sorry, but that is complete bullsh*t.

People can be respectful to one another and talk to each other, not yell at other people and objectify them. And I should be able to feel safe walking down the street, let alone with my friends. I should be able to show my anger and not feel ashamed for it. None of what happened is acceptable.

Our society wants change? Let's start with the basics: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Did the majority of the population forget this rule we were taught when we were five? Respect is so vital and so important, and it is so often thrown to the side. And empathize with people: know that just because it's not happening to you doesn't mean it's not happening to other people and it most certainly does not mean that it's not important. I know both men and women objectify the opposite sex, so I say this to everyone: Don't talk down to people. Don't objectify someone just because they're a stranger and they're physically appealing to you. Remember that they're a human being, they have a life just like you, and you are not entitled to anything. If the roles were reversed, you'd want to be respected, so do the same for everyone else.

This should be a no-brainer for everyone, but it's not. So just be kind, be respectful. It can go such a long way.