text me when you get home
By Ruby Pritchard / 2 October 2021
Illustration by Lena Blacker
TW: Sexual Harassment
As young girls, we’re fed toxic a narrative insinuating that we’re somehow the issue. That, as women, we should take precautionary measures to protect ourselves from being attacked when out alone after dark. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I’m tired of it. Sarah Everard took steps to keep herself safe and still fell victim to an abhorrent crime. We need to stop putting the onus on women. It only increases this mutual feeling of fear and vulnerability. The spotlight should be on the perpetrators. Not on whether the victims took ample care to prevent themselves from “running into trouble”. It’s an archaic and quite frankly unjust outlook. Sarah Everard was NOT at fault. This needs to be clear in everyone’s minds first and foremost if we’re to make any progress towards dismantling this culture of victim blaming.
“Walk quickly,”
They said,
“Avoid unlit paths.
Cross the road
If he follows too close behind.”
I was raised to believe
The problem was me.
When in fact,
The problem
Lies with those
Who follow lone girls
Down dark alleys
When no one is watching.
I was a child
When my body became politicised,
Sexualised.
Things I could not fathom
(I was only twelve, after all).
My womanhood became more pronounced;
My hips widened,
My breasts swelled.
“No, not that top,”
My mother said.
“I am surely the issue,”
I mused.
When the issue
Rests with those
Who whistle and holler
And grow angry
When we don’t respond
As our hearts race
And our palms dampen with sweat.
The streets are deserted.
No one would witness
If he ventured closer
And utilised my femininity
For his own gratification.
I am older now.
And my heart breaks
When I think of all the girls
Who hurry home
With their keys between their fingers,
Their best friend on speed dial.
We are tired of living in fear.
We are reclaiming the power.
We are taking back the streets
From those who had no right to own them
In the first place.
Text me when you get home
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