I have encountered many experiences concerning “casual” sexual harassment throughout my life; however, the following experience remains one of the most vivid in my memories. At the time I was 15 and it began when one of my friends posted me on her snapchat story to which a guy swiped up to and asked for my number. She gave it to him innocently and with positive intentions. At the time I was in a really rough situation and had no intention of having a relation of any type other than friendship with a guy. The dude, a year older than me, texted me and I answered simply to be respectful. He immediately began to behave in ways implying that he had intentions of being more than friends. I made it clear to him that I was not in a position where I was ready to consider a relationship of that sort with anyone and that I didn’t want to behave in casual “encounters” either. He still kept insisting and I simply nicely told him to respect and understand my position. He then proposed that we “hang out” and just try to get to know each other better and be “friends”. In all honesty, I didn’t want to go. When I mentioned it to my mom hoping that she wouldn’t give me her consent to go because I barely knew him, she instead encouraged me to go in order to “get my mind off things”, and she said that “who knows? I might even like him”. My sisters and my friends also encouraged me to go, so in a way I felt pressured and gave in. I knew for sure that I did not want anything other than getting to know each other and simply just conversing. I let him know that I agreed to hang out and he immediately gave me a weird vibe in the manner that he was already behaving as if we were dating. He told me to match with him, to curl my hair, and to paint my nails, all of which I thought were greatly unusual considering the fact that I didn’t really know him and that I clearly told him I didn’t want anything of that sort, in addition to the fact that he was basically telling me how to look. I tried to simply not pay much attention to it and simply agreed to casually match but I told him that it depended on if I felt like curling my hair or not and I already had my nails done. Also, I’m a generally busy person, so at times I take longer to answer simply because I am literally engaging in something that requires my attention or respect. At a few days of knowing him he would call me in the middle of whatever I was doing to ask why I hadn’t answered his text in an upset tone, even if it had only been half an hour or so. I would simply “shake it off” and try not to think much of it. Finally, we met up and agreed to eat at Canes. We went and I didn’t think much of it and was simply just trying to have a normal conversation. From the beginning he would contribute very sexist comments about girls having to cook and about me being “hot”. It made me uncomfortable and usually I would have said something because I do speak up and am opinionated about certain issues, but I didn’t address it not only because I didn’t want to make things weird but because I also wasn’t truly myself at the time. We later got into his car to go to the movies and he began making comments about sexual topics and asking me about my sexual experience or so. I expressed that I wasn’t comfortable talking of that topic in particular with him for several reasons and reminded him that we were just intending to build a friendship; nevertheless, he continued on addressing the topic and on intending to make me reply in the manner that he wanted me to. We arrived at the movies and I was already uncomfortable; yet, I tried not to think much of it. When we went in and sat down, he immediately put his arm around my waist really tight. I was uncomfortable but for some reason felt as if I were “supposed” to let him and I thought that maybe I was overreacting by feeling uneasy and that it was normal, although it felt wrong. He then took my left hand (he was sitting on my left) and placed it partially on his genital area, and as he did this I could feel and hear his heavy breathing in my ear. Uncomfortably, but too embarrassed to call him out, I removed my hand. To my surprise, he grabbed it once more only to place it in the same spot. I removed it again but he simply replaced it in the same position. I took it off once more and made sure to not let him do so again. He then proceeded to ask me to kiss him. Already puzzled and tense from his previous behavior I replied that I wouldn’t. I knew that I did not want to kiss him and I was not going to let him pressure me into it. He insisted to which I continuously affirmed that I didn’t want to. Suddenly, he forcefully grabbed my face to force me to kiss him regardless of my repeated affirmations of having no desire to. I turned away and silently told him to stop because I was embarrassed to make a fuzz, especially at a location like the movies. Despite this, he again turned my face to force me to kiss him and additionally told me to simply “kiss him on the cheek” and he would stop insisting. I had a feeling that he’d try to trick me so I gave him the kiss on the cheek and quickly turned my face knowing that he would try to trick me into kissing him which he did. He continued to bother me, intend to force me, and to insist even when I clearly let him know that I didn’t want to and that I was uncomfortable. I wanted to leave, but for some reason I felt embarrassed. Ashamed. So I stayed. He then put his hand on my ass and begin stroking it and squeezing it. I told him to stop and tried taking it off which he ignored. I felt so incompetent and froze as if it were wrong to stand up for myself, but I still felt so disrespected. He then proceeded to put his hand on my breast and squeeze it. At that point I was so frustrated and took his hand off to which he responded with trying to place it there again. I told him to stop touching me but it seemed that he didn’t care. Finally, I spoke louder telling him to stop touching me at all. I guess he got scared that the people surrounding us had heard me so he stopped. I still stayed there because the movie wasn’t over. I remember being so upset and feeling so embarrassed and vulnerable that I felt such an urge to cry. I then decided that I was just going to “go to the restroom” and call my mom to pick me up. I went to the bathroom to try and call my mom when I realized that he placed his wallet in my purse. I was obligated to go back and was simply too embarrassed to simply walk out. So I stayed, he then asked me if I was “still mad” and tried placing his hand on my thigh very close to my genital area. I pushed his hand off and told him that I didn’t want him to touch me anymore. He stopped but he seemed so upset, as if he were angry, and suddenly I felt guilty. I felt as if I had been the one to provoke his behavior and that it was my fault that he was upset. The movie was finally over and we walked out. He insisted to take me home various times, but I told him that my mom was nearby and wanted to pick me up. He finally gave me a hug and then just walked away. The next day, I saw my friend which gave him my number, and she told me that he told her that I was a “complete waste of money, time, and energy” and that I “wasn’t freaky enough”, and that I “wasn’t even that pretty”. Although I tried to avoid it, this incident detrimentally affected my mental health and made me so much more insecure, in addition to worsening my situation and making me really just making me minimize my own worth and value. He never contacted me again, and I;m glad he didn’t. Following the occurrence of this incident, I was still in disbelief. It’s truly worrying that adolescents are already “okay” with disrespecting and sexually harassing young women despite her own wishes. Before having lived through that experience, I assumed that I’d be stronger and would have probably slapped the guy without shame; however, as I was in the situation I felt completely incompetent, ashamed, and I froze beyond what I would have expected. I’m just glad that I didn’t accept his offer to take me home, or else, I would’ve been at greater risk to being obliged to experience something worse. For a long time, I tried to simply not think about this incident, and tried to suppress its gravity to make myself feel better; but it is now that I realize that the way I was treated is not at ALL okay, and it disgusts me. I am outraged and completely appalled that things like this happen everyday and no one takes the measure needed to change things. We need to do something now, starting from our younger generations. For all of those women who have been exposed to similar or even worse situations and are struggling, I admire you for your strength to keep intending to live your life, despite whatever situation may have impacted you. You are worthy, and deserve better than this.