Harassers.

I am not a feminist. 


Yes, I am a woman and I don't believe in feminism. It's not that I don't believe in equality between men and women, but the word already gives it away: "feminism". Not the best way to express the "lack of differences" between the two genders (which is bullshit, but this is not the purpose of this post). 

I am interested in showing how different is for women to go out by themselves. It doesn't matter if it's day or night, if it's in a club on a Saturday night or during a sunny day in a park full of families. It doesn't matter if it's in a city or in a town. If you are not in the company of a "penis-equipped" person, there will always be someone ready to annoy you. 

Everything started last weekend when two friends and I decided to make a trip to London to do something different. We were ready to go clubbing, so we left the hostel (in a quite central area of London) and we head to the bus stop. Once there, people of the opposite sex started giving us looks or whistling at us (a thing that I don't really understand, I normally whistle to call my dog, not a person). 

Now, you may think: "Who knows what were you wearing?!". Well, that's a pretty shitty thought since everyone has the right to wear whatever they want, but I can understand it. We were wearing skirts and a dress, all of them knee-length, tights and huge coats because it was freezing. It wasn't anything shocking. 

We arrived in Piccadilly Circus, and we had to walk to Leicester Square, so we weren't exactly in the middle of nowhere. Things got really interesting here. On our way, at least 50 people tried to talk to/stop us, in different languages. We got most of their "appreciations" because of the variety of languages my friends and I speak: I am Italian, and I was in the company of a Spanish and a Taiwanese. The only ones we didn't get were the Russians/Romanians/Bulgarians, but I don't think they said something different or more interesting than their western European pals. 

"Wow, you're a gorgeous woman!". Thanks, I know.
"Follow us and you won't regret it". Nope, I prefer sewing myself down there rather than following you.
(In the club) "Look at those tits". I wish I could say the same thing about your penis. Also, everything was covered up by my dress, so I didn't understand what he was talking about. 
Or simply, a guy walking in the opposite direction hit my bum with is hand fully opened. Like, wtf.

We had a terrible experience inside that club. Let's not talk about the smell and how crowded it was, but how guys approached us. Like if they never saw a woman before. Lots of guys tried to talk to us but the worst were those who sneaked from behind leaning it on our backs. I don't know what they try to obtain doing that, it's just utterly disgusting and it makes you never want to go clubbing again for the rest of your life.

The morning after, it happened the same thing in Hyde Park. It was crowded with people and families with children but those who weren't in a group with guys in it had to suffer the harassment of a bunch of drunk idiots. They were so persistent I almost called the police. But things changed completely when my male friend joined us after work. Magically they even stopped looking at us. 

I seriously don't understand. Why if there's a guy around, these harassers don't even think to get close to you? What is it? Some sort of male respect? Don't we deserve the same treatment? We are not in the early 1900's when women had to go out accompanied by their husbands or their fathers. 

And why men can go around the park shirtless while I can't just sit on the grass with my jeans, t-shirt and jacket on?