Why do women feel unsafe and anxious the moment a man sits down next to them in a public place?

I was visiting my hometown. It was 103 degrees outside. There were no benches anywhere. I had 2 heavy bags and was sweating. <br><br>I looked around and found a metal table in the shade. It was perfect. I sat down. I put both my bags down. I wiped the sweat off my forehead.<br><br>Just then, a man walks by. He sees me sitting at the table. Then he sees that I'm a woman. Then he suddenly stops in his tracks, does a 180 to his right, and sits right next to me. His shoulder was touching mine. I was so disgusted. Then, he starts talking to me. I ignore him. He keeps talking. He's asking me if I work nearby. What I do for work. Where I'm headed. Where I live. At this point, I'm scared. I get up immediately and leave. <br><br>I was so anxious and on edge as I continued walking. I thought to myself, "Why did you leave?" This was such a comfortable table for a fat girl like me. But I was forced to leave because some man invaded my space.<br><br>I thought, "What if I couldn't leave? What if my legs hurt so bad I couldn't walk a block? What if I didn't have a choice?" Would I be stuck there? Would I be forced to talk to him? <br><br>I thought, "Would he have ever done this if I was a man?" Would he sit down next to a man? Would he talk to a man he didn't know? Would he ask where a man lived? Where a man worked? <br><br>I thought, "What if I couldn't leave because I was his wife?" What if he saw me sitting at that table and I was forced to go back home with him? What if I had no choice?<br><br>I thought, "What if he decided to sit down next to me because I was a woman?" What if he thought he could talk to me because I was a woman? What if he thought he could take me home with him because I was a woman?<br><br>I thought, "What does he think he's doing?" I thought, "Does he think he can take me?" Does he think I'm an object? Does he think he can talk to me? Does he think we're friends? Does he think I like him? Does he think I'm his?<br><br>I thought, "I don't want to talk to him." I thought, "I don't want to be friends with him." I thought, "I don't want to have sex with him." I thought, "I don't want to marry him." I thought, "I don't even want to sit next to him."<br><br>I thought, "Why did he sit down next to me?" I thought, "Why does he get to decide when and where I meet men?" I thought, "I don't want to meet any men." I thought, "And I don't want to be bothered."<br><br>I thought, "Why does he think he has the right to sit down?" Does he think I'm a public woman? Does he think I'm a public body? Does he think he can take me whenever he wants because he's a man? Does he think I'm a public space? <br><br>I thought, "Why can't he see I'm a private person?" I thought, "Why can't he see I'm a private body?" I thought, "Why can't he see that?" I thought, "Why can't he see me?"<br><br>I thought, "I don't want to be seen." I thought, "I don't want to be looked at." I thought, "I don't want to be touched." I don't want to be bothered. I thought, "I just want to be left alone."<br><br>I'm so sick of being harassed. I'm so sick of being sexually harassed. I'm so sick of being harassed in public. I'm so sick of being sexually harassed in public. <br><br>I'm so sick of feeling unsafe. I'm so sick of feeling uncomfortable. I'm so sick of feeling vulnerable. I'm so sick of feeling scared. <br><br>I'm so sick of losing my freedom by being forced to leave a space. I'm so sick of losing my safety by being forced to stay in a space. <br><br>I'm so sick of all the land being male land. I'm so sick of the world not being my own. I'm so sick of not having any space of my own. I'm so sick of not having any safety of my own.