I was at a lake with my friends talking to one another last week, after we had gone swimming and were standing in our swimsuits in a wooded/bushy area about 30 feet from the main trail. I should note that we are 15 and 16 year olds. As we were talking, I realized that there was a grown man crouching in the bushes off the main trail, staring at us, partially obscured by bushes. I shouted, “The main trail is over there” to him, and then stared at him. Then, my friends turned around and stared at this voyeur for a solid minute, and he finally slithered out and away from the bushes and left us alone. When I was thirteen, I was running and this middle-aged man took pictures of my body as I ran by. When I was 13 and passing through a university, I had a college aged man comment “that girl’s cute” to his friend. My dad is going with me to buy pepper spray this weekend to protect myself, but when I first told someone about an incident, the first thing they asked was, “what were you wearing?” I felt hurt, angry, and violated, as these types of incidences have increased as I have gotten older. I am absolutely done. Shut your mouth and don’t violate strangers, it’s that easy.
