While scrolling through TikTok, I came across a video of a teenage girl in gym wear, probably outside a gym building, making content for TikTok like many young people do these days. Then a tricycle rider drove by, saw her, got aroused, parked nearby, pulled down his zipper, and began masturbating while staring at her.
His behavior gave me the ick in the most unimaginable way. What made it even more disturbing was the fact that this was a child. A teenage girl, yet there he was, a grown ass man, old enough to probably be in his forties, publicly sexualizing her without shame. In my opinion, a man capable of doing something like that in broad daylight is capable of much worse in a more isolated environment. Men like that deserve to be arrested, not defended.
And the saddest part is that he could easily be someone’s husband. Someone’s father. Someone people may describe as a good man. But what truly disturbed me after the video were the comments from some men blaming the girl instead. They criticized her outfit, questioned why she was outside dressed that way, and acted as though her clothing excused his behavior.
She was literally in gym wear outside a gym. Was she expected to wear a long skirt and a hijab to exercise? And even if she were not at a gym, it still would not justify what he did. A woman or girl existing in public is not an invitation for harassment.
Every day, I become more aware of how unsafe this world can feel for women and girls. The way some people defend predators, excuse harassment, or shift blame onto victims is genuinely exhausting. Women should not have to calculate their safety based on what they wear. Girls should not grow up believing harassment is something they provoked. People should be able to exist in public without fear.
I hope one day women and girls can feel safe in their surroundings, regardless of what they wear, where they are, or what time it is.
