I’m the first to admit that my feelings about Taylor Swift are ever shifting.

Her albums have been, in my opinion, sort of hit or miss and I don’t always agree with her public actions or opinions. I can say, however, that today I am very much in agreement.

I’m not sure if you are aware, but back in 2013 Swift had a pre-concert appearance and photoshoot with DJ David Mueller. In these photos, Mueller was allegedly inappropriately grabbing at the pop star’s backside. Since then, the case has blown up (I’ve linked more details at the bottom of this article).

Recently, Swift won the court case in which she permanently tarnished the DJ’s future career and claimed a representative total of $1 in the name of girls who have encountered similar harassment.

I fully commend Taylor Swift, she has used her platforms and advantages to draw light to a major issue that normal women face every single day. She also publicly recognized that most girls who have experienced this inappropriate treatment have little power over the situation.

I’m not sure what is the bigger problem with this case, the fact that few people listen or care when this happens to everyday women, the fact that it took such a major case to open people’s eyes, or the fact that the harassment even happened in the first place.

I’ve known girls and women alike who have been experiencing this type of harassment since middle school. While it’s not always as intentional as the Swift case seems to be, even just a light brush can make someone uncomfortable.

These situations fall right in that murky gray area. It’s just a step over catcalling and a step below assault. It is always based on a he said she said, and there is rarely any proof. Most of the time girls just misinterpret the situation right? He didn’t mean to grab her backside, it’s just crowded at this dance. There are just too many people at the bar (yeah right).

Thank you Taylor Swift. Thank you for supporting the young women who have to deal with this regularly. Thank you for showing boys/men that it’s not ok (you’d think they’d know already). Thank you for speaking up when few women have the means to be heard. Thank you for making this one uncomfortable occasion about something bigger than yourself.

To any guys who may be reading this, it may not seem like a big deal to “brush up” against a girl at a dance or stand a little too close in line, but to her it’s way more than that. She will feel violated. She will feel uncomfortable. She may be confused. She will feel unsafe. You wouldn’t want to feel that way. Nobody does. I understand some places are genuinely crowded and it it possible to legitimately brush up against a person if there isn’t a lot of space. There’s nothing wrong with that. That doesn’t make a crowded room a valid excuse.

When in doubt, just keep your hands off.