It is no surprise that one of the consequences of being a woman is that we experience unwanted attention. It seems like as soon as we hit puberty, the world becomes a jungle, and you never know whether you will meet an awesome stranger who could change your life forever or a creepy predator. I can honestly say that we have all been there! For example, you’re chatting with friends, enjoying your night, when you notice a hand on your thigh, or worse...you accidentally lock eyes with the guy across the bar giving you a hungry look that proves he has a more malicious intent, and by now, you're frozen, trying to think of an escape plan. I can’t even count how many times I've been in your shoes, from a creep at the club to a man twice my age who got angry when I told him I was too young. Unfortunately, in some situations you really can't report the guy's behavior, which is irritating, and nothing is worse than when someone is aggressively giving you unwanted attention, especially when you don't know how to get them to stop.

Let's face it: telling them to stop won't work and if someone won't leave you alone don't be afraid to be rude, because no one should make you feel uncomfortable. You have every right to tell them to back off because no matter how polite you are, eventually you would have to tell him that you have no intention of hooking up and there is no guarantee that he will take it nicely. Believe it or not, you should rip it off like a band-aid right from the start because you don't want him to think that you are interested. Friendliness is not an open invitation to be groped and they shouldn't feel obligated to gain access to your attention and you shouldn't feel guilty about setting boundaries. If someone touches your butt, grazes your thigh, or tries to shove their tongue down your throat they better know for a fact that you want that to happen because no one is entitled to your body.

Sadly, a creep encounter is unavoidable and you will run into a few here and there and it's best if you are prepared with a few tricks up your sleeve. The first is to call them out--embarrassing him in public might do you a solid. If he continues to harass you: CALL BACK UP. Think strategically with friends, this way if things are starting to make you uneasy your friends can always swoop in and make sure that nothing gets out of hand. The more arsenal the better! Finally, if you are in a situation where you feel that the creep is threat to your safety REPORT IT! DO NOT HESITATE! And although it might be extreme it's better safe than sorry.