I crossed the street and thought I felt someone cross it behind me, as well. I was paranoid, right? Yeah, that’s all it was. It was 12:23 a.m. and I was just paranoid. I took a slightly different way to get home, a unusual combination of streets, just to make sure no one was following me.
Looking out of my peripherals, I still sensed someone catching up to me. A figure. No, no. I thought, it’s just me being paranoid. A street away from my apartment, I checked the time. 12:28 a.m. I looked back up and turned my head to the ever so slightly to the side. And he was right behind me. Nothing was in my brain except one word: RUN. My feet moved faster than my thoughts as I sprinted home. I checked again and couldn’t see him directly behind me. With a leg up, I unlocked my front door and ran up the stairs to my apartment door. I shut my door and burst into tears, and called my mom quicker than I could sit down.
After that experience, I will never walk outside of my house without my self-defense spray in my purse. In the moment, it was a better decision to run than to stop and use the spray, but if the man had caught up to me, it would have been the necessary tool for self-defense. Self-defense spray is discrete and it fits perfectly on your keychain, wallet, or even the belt loop of your jeans. It’s a small black spray bottle that passes as a flashlight. I keep it on my keys, so I will always have it with me, just in case.
The thing about being a woman, especially in a city like New York, is that there is no certainty that you will not be in danger. You are constantly vigilant about being a potential target of assault or violence. Obviously, it’s not best to assume things about the people around you, but it’s better to be safe than to be sorry. The best-case scenario isn’t the guaranteed scenario. If you don’t have your own back, who will?
So please, to all my friends, all my future friends, frenemies, and even women I’ve never met: get this product, take a self-defense class, and carry a rape whistle. Do whatever it takes to feel safe at all times, even when you think there is no imminent threat.
Beyond this, Her Campus at The New School is going to host two self-defense classes, one in October and one in November. Learn more through our Facebook page and Instagram.Â
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[Feature Image by Unsplash]