covered up

Lately, I keep seeing these articles where people tell women how they should dress in order to avoid unwanted attention from men. They give tips to not wear heavy makeup, to cover up cleavage, and to wear loose clothing.

So for everyone who thinks that dressing or presenting yourself in a certain way will prevent you from being a target of certain men, here is a story of what happened to me this week:

There's a tiny dog park inside my apartment complex. I walk Addie there a few times a day so that she can run around. I've met a lot of my neighbors here because they also have dogs and we spend a few minutes telling stories and trading training tips before we leave to get on with our day. Just before lunch, I took Addie there and removed her leash when a guy without a dog followed me in there. Now, here is what he walked in on:

And he still hit on me. He kept telling me how pretty I was, and asking if I wanted to go with him even after I told him I wasn't interested. He also made it a very big point to inform me that I looked like I was barely 18.

By the rules and standards I keep seeing online, this guy should have just walked past me without a second glance. My point is, I couldn't even go 30 ft from my apartment without some guy invading my space and making me feel very uncomfortable. He would not stop pestering me until I just left the park. The clothes I wore had nothing to do with it. Being on this side of this type of interaction isn't complimentary, it is annoying and sometimes just plain scary.

Seriously, this is not cool. I just want to walk my dog.



much love,
hedgie