Walking to my favorite coffee shop after school one day wearing a nice pair of sweatpants and a messy bun, I figured that I would have no problem making it from location A to location B without having my safety compromised. I thought I would simply make it to the shop without having any obstacles. I believed that no human being would bother stopping me, especially since I wasn’t wearing an outfit that most people would describe as "attractive." Boy, I was completely wrong that day.

I began walking and a group of young men from far away noticed that I was alone and took advantage of this opportunity. They began to scream things at me from a distance, such as, “AYE GIRL DO YOU LIKE SUCKING _____?” (I will allow you to fill in the blank), and other statements that are far too vulgar to even think about putting in this essay. At first, I ignored it. It was uncomfortable, yes, but I figured that their protruding comments would simply just remain words with no action. The men began to walk faster and faster, still yelling dehumanizing statements at me. These men got to the point where they were right behind me, completely in my space, still spitting out derogatory comments at me. At the point, I built up the courage to tell the men “f*** you” and that is where words quickly became actions. They began to circle around me, calling me every derogatory comment you could call a female. They began throwing threats at me and circling themselves around me, making sure they knew that I was in trouble. I quickly ran as fast as I could and managed to get to the coffee shop without getting hurt or perhaps, dying. I would have never thought that the beginning of my walk, I would have to run from a group of men who clearly wanted to make me feel unsafe in my skin.

Fortunately, most women have not been through the scenario that I have just described. However, most women have dealt with what some men think is a harmless whistle, or a playful “hey sexy.” However, these types of comments have no intention of making a woman feel beautiful or special, rather it is tactic used by men to make woman feel controlled and dehumanized. These types of comments are invasive, and make women feel uncomfortable to simply walk the streets. A friendly hello or courteous smile is acceptable, however, verbally saying comments that objectify women is not. And more often than not, the comments made by the catcaller are not really intending to give attention to the woman, but rather give attention to themselves.

The more appalling part about catcalling is, when men feel offended and angry when a woman chooses to not respond to their comments and suddenly, that woman is a 'bitch.' When this happens, it simply proves the idea that men are catcalling only in an effort to make the woman feel embarrassed and ashamed of who they are. It enforces the idea that if women do not act in the manner that's deemed acceptable by men, then we are nasty and stuck-up. Perhaps there are women out there who think it is fine to be catcalled, but most women would rather feel safe and comfortable in their skin and remain unbothered while walking to location B.

So men - please erase this fabricated idea in your head that you can simply get any woman, at any time, at any location, by invading our space and directing comments at us that have no intention of making us feel good, but rather are intended to make you feel in control of us. Let us end this cycle of street harassment, so women can feel comfortable when walking to their given locations, without having to worry about whether they will make it home safe or not.