I am scared of existing as a woman in a world where I am not safe simply because I am there.

I am scared of being in the world and knowing if I will be the next woman slain for being a woman. I am tired of hearing ways that I can protect myself instead of hearing a conversation on mental health and masculinity. I do not want to have to take a weapon with me everywhere I go. I do not want self-defense tips and ways to protect myself, but I need them. I want to be able to feel safe walking to my apartment after class, but I do not. This is not a problem that only women can fix. As a society, we need to look at why a man can murder a woman simply because he wants to. We need to look at why men think the appropriate response to being told no is to kill a woman. I wish I knew how to make myself and my friends feel safer.

Violence against women is not new. We have been dealing with this forever, yet we do not have a solution. We could have better mental health care, men could realize that women do not owe them anything, or we could continue the way things have been going. We could continue to mourn a woman who has been killed for no reason every month, or we could change something. Men need to realize that masculinity in today's society is not healthy. Women do not owe them a yes, they can not do whatever they want to women, and woman were not put on this earth only to please men. Yes, we are someone's sister, daughter, cousin, partner--we are someone. We are people and that should be enough.