Over the past few weeks, I have seen hundreds of posts from friends and family sharing their “me too” stories. I read them with sympathy and anger. I read them, I understood them, and then I compared myself to them.

I can’t sit here and say that I have been raped or taken advantage of in a way that makes me feel as though it is big enough to speak out about. However, that is also not to say that I have never been inappropriately cat called, grabbed on the streets or at bars. That I haven’t had my butt smacked without my consent or that I haven’t received inappropriate messages on social media.

If women were to post about every time they felt uncomfortable around men, whether in a closed space or in public, it would take over social media.

While the “me too” movement has been spreading like wildfire, I have yet to feel as though I could post about the little things. I watched the movement happen from afar, and I never spoke out.

What bothers me most is the silence that I feel, and I’m sure others feel as well. If I personally feel silenced, imagine the men in the world who have been sexually assaulted and feel more silenced than I ever could.

Maybe it is a lack of courage that is stopping me from speaking out. Maybe I don’t want to speak out because I don’t see how people could take me seriously. Or, maybe the fact that everything that has happened to me hasn’t seemed like a big deal in the scope of things has stopped me from opening up.

I personally feel as though something is wrong if I can’t relate to every other woman out there. That is a disgusting thought. To know that I feel weird about not having the same experiences as what feels like everyone else.

I shouldn't feel silenced. I should feel as though I can speak up because realistically, in these cases, no experience is too small. Nothing is unimportant when speaking up about your experiences.

Sexual assault has become the norm. The fact that a majority of women, both young and old, are able to relate to each other on such a sad and disgusting level is terrifying and flat out wrong. We shouldn’t be living in such a dangerous world.

But then again, what is going to change that?