This is what it’s like to be a woman.

I’d love to be able to write some kind of brilliant intro, but I’m more interested in giving myself enough time to work on the article I’m revising, so instead I’ll get right to it:

a lot of good men don’t understand what the big deal is.

They get that rape is bad. They get that rape is complicated. But they can’t understand why women sometimes agree to sex that they don’t really want to have, why a woman might engage in other forms of sexual activity and feel violated, or why – god help them – women go to the bathroom in groups and otherwise travel in packs. They have absolutely no idea what it’s like to walk around in a female body.

I realized shortly after #metoo started trending and so many women started sharing their stories that I am so used to being vigilant about my safety that I’d stopped noticing it. I started saying things like “I’ve never experienced . . . . well, wait a minute.” It’s so much a part of my daily existence as a woman that it’s become part of the wallpaper.

So this thread is my chronicle of those simple, everyday little moments that would otherwise sink below the surface of consciousness in my daily routine. This is mostly for me . . . but if it helps someone else, that’s a great bonus.

Stupid, trolling, nasty, and abusive comments will not be tolerated. I just don’t have time for you.

Undergraduates Write!

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