This TikTok Of A Creepy Man Talking To A Woman Is Something All Women Have To Deal With, And It's Infuriating
"It’s real and it happens to almost every single woman or girl that I know."
Kaitlyn Murdock, a 20-year-old college student from Canada, experienced what just about every woman has had to deal with at some point in their life when she went out to celebrate a friend's birthday — unwanted harassment from men.
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She told BuzzFeed her night had already been rough. "Just that night, I had to uncomfortably ask a random man to stop putting his arm around me and leave me alone, and as I was outside, some guys kept talking to me and grabbed my phone to talk to my friend, until I literally ran to the other side of the bar."
But then, after the celebration was over and Kaitlyn was alone, another man she didn't know approached her while she was on the phone with a friend and also proceeded to harass her.
The TikTok shows Kaitlyn looking visibly uncomfortable while the man asks her if she can give him some "warmth" (EW). She politely tells him she doesn't "have any warmth to give" in order to make him go away.
But when he persists, Kaitlyn gets bolder and eventually tells him she doesn't want to have a conversation with him, causing him to get upset and eventually leave, calling her a "bitch."
"It was very creepy and scary. I am a very skinny and weak girl, so it’s hard to be assertive to men when I’m uncomfortable, because you never truly know who is going to become violent or aggressive and I am not physically able to overpower anyone who would try to hurt me."
Kaitlyn told BuzzFeed she originally filmed the video in order to show her friends, as "proof of what he was saying and how unsettling it was," but decided to share it on TikTok to show what women have to go through when they're out in public.
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"I want people who maybe think that women 'exaggerate' their fear of men to think again and realize it’s real, and it happens to almost every single woman or girl that I know."
She also hopes that her TikTok will be relatable to other women and inspire them to "come together to raise more awareness of the issue."
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"We keep trying and trying to voice the fear, but we are continuously hit with comments like, 'maybe don’t wear revealing clothing then,' or, 'it’s your fault for being nice and smiling at them.' It’s not fair that being a decent human being and exercising our right to wear whatever we want makes it our fault for being harassed."
If you're a woman reading this, chances are this narrative is wayyy too familiar. And as someone who's had to deal with this exact same thing MANY times, I'd like to commend Kaitlyn for sharing her story. Certified Queen.™
And to all the men out there: Take this as a lesson to keep your eyes, hands, and creepy words to yourself, ESPECIALLY if a woman seems uncomfortable.
