I loved my time in NYC, don’t get me wrong, but one thing I noticed immediately was the way it felt to move through the city as a woman.

I feel men don’t often consider what it is like to live in a woman’s body. Most women will tell you that they have felt violated or degraded by men on the street, whether the interaction was verbal, physical, or simply the way they look at us. It happens everywhere, but the men in NYC were particularly aggressive.

I won’t go into too many details, but just understand that although we women had fun and enjoyed ourselves, for many of us, in the back of our minds, there is a constant awareness of how men are viewing and interacting with us. Most men that I walked passed, regardless of how old or young they were, glanced down at my chest at least once. Some made comments, some whistled. It sucks.

Sometimes I’m bitter because most men will never understand what it is like to feel less than human, or even ashamed by these interactions. Some men will even dismiss women who bring the subject up. However, I’m grateful to the men in my life who try their best to understand, who call out their friends who might participate in this behavior, and who are simply there for me when I have a particularly upsetting experience.

Maddy Kinsella 5/15/19