Dear boys,

There's no way you could ever really know.

There's no way you could know the gut wrenching sensation when you are walking home alone and notice a car following you.

There's no way you could know what it's like to spend all the money you make in your low paying job on cabs and Ubers because it's unsafe to walk home alone past dark.

There's no way you could know the sympathy that is exuded as you read quick news articles about young women being raped and killed by their Uber drivers at a top university.

There's no way you could know how long we stay at places we don't want to be at just so we don't have to walk home alone.

There's no way you could know how degrading it feels to be on a street corner waiting to cross and hear catcalling from the passing cars only because you're wearing a pair of shorts.

There's no way you could know how every window and reflective shop signs are used as mediums to constantly and subtly check who's walking behind us.

There's no way to know that every single time you use a public bathroom the thought crosses your mind of whether or not this will be the time it happens to you.

There's no way you could know that when we make eye contact with a male, he could be the one to sexually assault you.

There's no way you could know the itching knowledge that at some point, you will be taken advantage of.

There's no way you could know how quickly we can dial “9-1-1" when a guy coincidentally wearing a hoodie is walking in the same direction home as us.

There's no way you could know how many conversations with our best friends begin with: “there's a creepy person following me, just stay on the line."

There's no way you could shrug off the shame of being called a “whore" for the same sexual act as a guy.

There's no way you could forget that one time you were called a "slut" for wearing a tight-fitting dress.

There's no way you could know the awareness necessary at all times of the day when talking to anyone you don't know.

There's no way you could empathize with the vulnerability felt when traveling on any form of public transportation alone, clutching your bag, praying no one notices you, or sits near you.

There's no way you could understand how quickly a heart can beat when you enter a parking garage.

There's no way you could understand the habit of locking the doors in every car you drive as soon as you get in it.

There's no way you could understand the hurt that comes with the fact that every single one of us personally knows someone who has been taken advantage of.

There's just no way you could understand.

There's no way you could know the constant and persistent fear that surrounds our everyday life because we are female.

Sexual assault feels inevitable because of the fear instilled into our environments.

The dreadful pit in our stomachs associated with the vulnerability of being a girl should never feel inevitable or normal.

Fear should not be a normal feeling.

If you're not a girl there's no way you really could ever know.

You will never know.

But perhaps you could try to understand. Maybe you could try to walk a day in our shoes and experience the fear of being a girl.

Women will never achieve empowerment if they're too scared to walk where they need to go.

Walk a day in our shoes, and you'll be scared to put them on and leave the house tomorrow too.

Sincerely,

Girls

P.S. It could never hurt to walk your girl home, because at least you know she could get home safe.