Being a girl is dangerous.
A close friend of mine recently went out on a Friday night with some friends in New York City. She started the night pre-gaming with some liquor and made sure to call me at 10pm to inform me she was already "waayyysted." By midnight she and her friends were out bar hopping like twenty-somethings often do. So far, it was turning out to be a great night for my friend--a "typical" night. By 2am my friend separated from her friends and was found passed out on 1st ave. By 3am I received a phone call saying my friend was in the hospital. She was lucky she ended up there.
Fortunately, nothing happened to my friend other than a major wake up call. Though other girls are not as fortunate. As most are probably aware of the recent news of a girl also in her twenties, who became an unfortunate victim of a fun night out turned dangerous--and ultimately fatal (and it's not the first time we've heard something like this in the news). While no one knows exactly what happened the night that Imette St. Guillen was raped and murdered, one can only imagine. Whether she was drugged, abducted, lured, or like my friend, incoherent because of intoxication, the fact that she was a girl made her all the more vulnerable. Plus, being visibly drunk makes her an easier target.
You probably won't see headline news of a man raped or abducted, especially from a female. It's just a shear fact that females are the more vulnerable sex. We are seen as dainty, not tough. Despite the recent surge of ass-kicking women movies (ie, Aeon Flux, Ultraviolet, etc.), it's not likely the average girl would stand a chance against the average guy.
Even in a self-defense class I recently took I could barely kick-ass. I was intimidated by some sweaty guy who had his arms around me and found myself not sure what to do in his overwhelming strength. "Hit him in the balls," the instructor yelled, but all I could do was lightly tap his cup that was protecting his manhood. When it came his turn to use the same move on me, he obviously was supposed to go easier on me because I'm a girl. That's what guys do; they go easy on the girls. WRONG. He hit me so hard in my crotch that I swear I felt my pelvic bone vibrate. This dude didn't realize his power and apologized, though he thought he "went easy on me." (And, like a typical guy, he didn't realize that while girls are not owners of nuts, YES it does still hurt like hell if you get hit down there).
While I was surprised to see a good amount of men at this self-defense class, much of the class was geared towards the females. And of course, we practiced as though our assailants would be males. If a girl like me jumped any of those guys on the street, they would probably laugh at me and my skinny arms, or drop me to the ground before I could take their wallet.
Though a self-defense class and the right moves could help a situation, sometimes a girl can be too vulnerable to do anything, like in the case of my friend who was found passed out on the street. In cases like that all you can do is take precautions. When going out, we need to make sure that someone knows where we are at all times and most importantly where we are.
Especially, as cool or genuine as a guy may seem when you meet them out, never go somewhere alone with them. I know so many girls who have gone back to a guy's dorm room or apartment because they trusted them, despite just meeting them. A family friend had a frightening experience upon meeting a man--and he didn't even invite her back to his place, just to the beach. She was vacationing in the Carribean when she was in college and went out for drinks one night. She met a good-looking guy at the bar who tried to get her to go with him to hang out on the beach. She declined and he immediately lost interest. The next morning she woke up in her hotel to find that same guy's face on the front page of the paper. He found two other girls to fall victim to his scheme, took them to his car on the beach and raped one girl and killed the other. One decision like that can cost a girl her life.
I know girls who take precaution by carrying their cell phones and pretending they're talking when they are alone and passing strange men on the street. Girls should also be aware that when listening to their ipods/headphones on the street that they can hear what's around them because this can make them an easy target as well. I personally take little precautions daily like I make sure my surroundings when I open the door to my apartment and make sure to close it behind me immediately in case a man snuck up behind me. It's almost sick how much I need to think about all the precautions I need to take (that men probably never have to think about) because being a girl, whether in college, on vacation, or in a big city, can be so dangerous.
Fortunately, nothing happened to my friend other than a major wake up call. Though other girls are not as fortunate. As most are probably aware of the recent news of a girl also in her twenties, who became an unfortunate victim of a fun night out turned dangerous--and ultimately fatal (and it's not the first time we've heard something like this in the news). While no one knows exactly what happened the night that Imette St. Guillen was raped and murdered, one can only imagine. Whether she was drugged, abducted, lured, or like my friend, incoherent because of intoxication, the fact that she was a girl made her all the more vulnerable. Plus, being visibly drunk makes her an easier target.
You probably won't see headline news of a man raped or abducted, especially from a female. It's just a shear fact that females are the more vulnerable sex. We are seen as dainty, not tough. Despite the recent surge of ass-kicking women movies (ie, Aeon Flux, Ultraviolet, etc.), it's not likely the average girl would stand a chance against the average guy.
Even in a self-defense class I recently took I could barely kick-ass. I was intimidated by some sweaty guy who had his arms around me and found myself not sure what to do in his overwhelming strength. "Hit him in the balls," the instructor yelled, but all I could do was lightly tap his cup that was protecting his manhood. When it came his turn to use the same move on me, he obviously was supposed to go easier on me because I'm a girl. That's what guys do; they go easy on the girls. WRONG. He hit me so hard in my crotch that I swear I felt my pelvic bone vibrate. This dude didn't realize his power and apologized, though he thought he "went easy on me." (And, like a typical guy, he didn't realize that while girls are not owners of nuts, YES it does still hurt like hell if you get hit down there).
While I was surprised to see a good amount of men at this self-defense class, much of the class was geared towards the females. And of course, we practiced as though our assailants would be males. If a girl like me jumped any of those guys on the street, they would probably laugh at me and my skinny arms, or drop me to the ground before I could take their wallet.
Though a self-defense class and the right moves could help a situation, sometimes a girl can be too vulnerable to do anything, like in the case of my friend who was found passed out on the street. In cases like that all you can do is take precautions. When going out, we need to make sure that someone knows where we are at all times and most importantly where we are.
Especially, as cool or genuine as a guy may seem when you meet them out, never go somewhere alone with them. I know so many girls who have gone back to a guy's dorm room or apartment because they trusted them, despite just meeting them. A family friend had a frightening experience upon meeting a man--and he didn't even invite her back to his place, just to the beach. She was vacationing in the Carribean when she was in college and went out for drinks one night. She met a good-looking guy at the bar who tried to get her to go with him to hang out on the beach. She declined and he immediately lost interest. The next morning she woke up in her hotel to find that same guy's face on the front page of the paper. He found two other girls to fall victim to his scheme, took them to his car on the beach and raped one girl and killed the other. One decision like that can cost a girl her life.
I know girls who take precaution by carrying their cell phones and pretending they're talking when they are alone and passing strange men on the street. Girls should also be aware that when listening to their ipods/headphones on the street that they can hear what's around them because this can make them an easy target as well. I personally take little precautions daily like I make sure my surroundings when I open the door to my apartment and make sure to close it behind me immediately in case a man snuck up behind me. It's almost sick how much I need to think about all the precautions I need to take (that men probably never have to think about) because being a girl, whether in college, on vacation, or in a big city, can be so dangerous.
posted by Lizzy T. @ 7:56 AM
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