girl culture is turning around every few feet when you’re walking alone to see if someone’s following u
Learn to peep through the corner of your eye so you’re not quite so obvious when you turn.
Putting in your earphones so hopefully no random men try to talk to/harass you but not actually playing music so you can listen for footsteps/other suspicious noises behind you.
feeling like someone is following you and subtly shifting whatever object you’re holding into a better grip so you can use it as a bludgeon if the person behind you tries anything
Being fucking terrified when street lamps give you more than one shadow
just girly things~🌟
Ok, buckle up for some advice from your local redhead who grew up in a collection of iffy neighborhoods.
Square. The Frick. Up.
No one to fight? No one near? Square Up.
Leaving work late? Going out on public transit? Square Up.
Don’t know how to fight? Terrified? Square Up.
Square Up doesn’t mean fists up and ready to punch in this case it just means shoulders back chin up and walk like you might be late for an argument.
The deal with the threats we face is that it’s classic predator/prey dynamics. Preds look for prey, not other preds. Walk like a predator not prey. Sometimes that doesn’t work. Sometimes that one pred doesn’t get the idea.
Sucks to be them. Cuz they’re not getting out of this without a serious slice of humble pie. Be it a simple comment or getting their skin cells under your fingernails, that’s up to them. Don’t talk more than absolutely necessary, keep it short and powerful. “I don’t have time” seems to work best for me bc it’s urgent, true, and usually not insulting enough to feel like a challenge. Stay visible, never hide.
You’ve been grabbed? Grab. Them. Back. Your hand over their wrist, nails digging into the softest skin possible. Take the power, take the situation, it’s yours. You grab that wrist and lean back, pivot on your feet, turn and use both your strength and body weight to swing them off of you. Yell. “Do not touch me!” They’ll usually become less interested after this point, you’re putting up too much of a fight, you’re ‘a psycho bitch’. Damn right you are you gorgeous beast.
If they don’t give up on you, God forbid, they attack? Go for broke. Hit the soft parts, throat and genitals are the best. Men: grab a handful of the Twins and squeeze as hard as you can while pulling and twisting. Women: same deal up top, tiddies are sensitive as we’re just as prone to crotch-shots as men. Can’t do that? Bite and Scratch. Get their evidence on you and yours on them. Nothing is more incriminating than a human bite mark. Be the reason they need to go to a hospital.
Yell and scream as much as possible, I don’t care what just scream.
No direct threat? Just the ol anxiety playing up? Trust your gut, the one time you don’t will be the one time you wish you did.
Contrary to popular belief, you can call emergency services. Tell the operator “I’m walking home and feel unsafe” and they’ll stay on the line with you, might even send a nearby squad car to give you a lift home. Don’t feel safe calling the police? Call or text your closest relationship. Talk to them the whole way back, text them every five minutes like clockwork.
All these things are two pronged: address the immediate threat and aid investigators in the future should the worst occur. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Have a well meaning but maybe dense friend? Ask them to walk with you, they may not have known you were scared.
Most people are great, they’ll help you even if you’re a frazzled thing pounding on their front door past midnight bc the shadows aren’t trustworthy. Go for the house with the nicest garden, I’ve never met a mean green thumb they’re always the loveliest.
When you yell make sure you yell as loud as you can in a deep voice phrases like “No!” and “Don’t touch me!” and “I don’t want to go with you!” because then any eye witnesses in the area will tell the cops that they were handling you against your will.
-FemaleWarrior
All of this is not a guarantee of safety, of course, but it IS good advice.
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