“I’ll smile if and when I feel like it!”

I’ve been getting stared at in the streets since I was about 13. I’m 17 now. And recently it’s been getting really hot where I live, so I’ve been wearing shorter shorts, that come a couple of inches or so above mid thigh. Apparently riding my bike and wearing these shorts with a tshirt is an invitation for older men to honk and stare at me.

I also go swing dancing every once in a while, and I’m constantly told by the men there: “Come on, smile! You have a beautiful smile!”
It makes me so angry that men think they have the right to tell me when to smile and that I should do so for them, as if I owe them something. I don’t owe you anything, I’ll smile if and when I feel like it!

– R

Location: Atlanta, GA