Nowhere is safe for a woman. Everywhere you go, your safety is never guaranteed. Many things could happen to anyone that could put them in danger, but a woman’s biggest danger is a man.
From the moment you step outside the front doors of your house, you have to prepare yourself for anything. In order to protect yourself, you need to think of everything that could possibly go wrong or that could be dangerous. When you realize all the things we need to keep in mind in order to stay safe, you can’t blame women for all the things that they are paranoid about.
The man with his hands in his pockets just standing on the side of a sidewalk in an empty street. The man with the beanie that you can see looking at you on a bus or a train. The guy standing behind you in the checkout line so close that you can hear his breathing. The man with the black hoodie that has been walking behind you for a little too long. The man with the black hoodie still walking behind you in an area that now has no people around. The man with the black hoodie that is still walking behind you even though you’ve just gone in a circle.
If you consider how unsettling every situation seems, it makes sense why women have to carry around pepper spray and why they cling onto it so often. It makes sense why when walking anywhere, they check all reflective surfaces around to see behind them. It makes sense why they can’t wear both earbuds or why their headphones aren’t actually playing any sound. It makes sense why they have to always watch what they do, say, or even the way they stand or look at people in order to make sure they don’t give anyone an excuse to start a conflict. Women are called paranoid but is it really paranoia when that fear makes so much sense?