Dear Men,

Imagine you’re walking your dog, wearing black sweatpants and an over-sized sweatshirt. Headphones cover your ears as you listen to your favorite podcast. Out of nowhere, a woman leans out of her car and shouts, “Turn around and let me see your face, bitch!” You don’t answer, because you’re stunned. As you continue to walk, she yells again, “Not into me huh? Well you’re fucking ugly anyway,” and drives off to harass someone else. [Side note: this these exact words were shouted at me, I can’t make this stuff up.]

Existing in the world in a feminine body makes us susceptible to harassment like this, daily. Walking, running, sitting, standing, being in the world can feel unwarranted and unsafe. Catcalling is harassment, although it’s become so commonplace that it is hardly shocking anymore.

One woman told me she was so worked up and felt so violated after being harassed that she threw up while out for a run, “Damn she got a hot body, look at that man! I’d like to get inside of that!”

Another woman told me that her body building coach harassed her via text message. After helping her with a set of pull ups, he told her he was disappointed that he couldn’t “catch a whiff” of her “down below.”

Here are just a handful of verbal assaults received by various women: