I have the right to do groceries anytime I want, in any attire I want! Alone! I shouldn’t have the slightest discomfort or fear at this very normal activity and I will tear up anybody who will try to ruin this for me or for any woman!
This evening, at around 9:20 pm, I went out to do grocery shopping. It’s almost summer, so I wore a rather short dress because I love the feeling of the air.
As I was walking, some idiotic goons drove pass by me and were hollering loudly and very obnoxiously. Then they stopped at the red light. Of course I ran up to that red light and gave them a good yelling. “Why were you hollering? What the hell is your problem? What were you thinking? You are disgusting!”
Then these idiots continued to objectify me and MAN-ipulate me, “We weren’t hollering at you! You aren’t even all that. You’re crazy.”
I immediately said, “That’s not what this is about! You were yelling! You are disgusting! You’re idiots! Get some respect” etc.
As if heckling is appropriate to do to a woman of your physical liking! As if I care what losers in a car think about my appearance! As if women in public are objects for your dumb opinions! As if women can be easily manipulated to believe in something that didn’t happen in reality. I’m a 29 year old urban female, and I know a hollering from anywhere! Four grown men in a car making sexist remarks, with the windows already down, and your trying to convince me I didn’t hear any jeering?
They probably weren’t expecting someone to fight back, so they said anything stupid, like commenting on my body. And I continued to be grounded in logic and reality, I continued to let them know they are sexist low lives, and my appearance is none of their business. I used a tone to make them feel very ashamed! Enough for them to ruin their evening. I know this is one of my talents, and I put it to good use.
This experience will sit with them for the rest of the evening, and they will probably be all macho and convince each other that I was crazy, I am aware of that, but I know they will always associate this experience with my yelling next time they try to holler at another woman. And if they have any nuerons, I might have made them realize they are in fact disgusting, and maybe will change.
And I know for some of you that may be reading this may think that what I did was crazy, and I should have let it go, but how many more years do I let this obnoxious behaviour go? Why is it normal to be such a pushover? Feminism can’t win with just joining Facebook pages, reading academic blogs, and attending ‘safe space’ events. And I refuse to live in fear or any slut-shaming! Covering women to prevent men from harassing them is the same logic that is used in Iran and I will NOT tolerate it in this country.