I was on vacation and in a mall in Salt Lake City with my family. I don’t remember exactly how old I was, probably around 12. A guy who was much older than me (teens or early 20s? It’s hard to say now looking back; all I knew at the time was that he was much older than me) saw me in a store and began staring at me in a creepy way. I believe he was with a friend or two. Then he proceeded to follow me –remember, I was with my family, including my father who is an extremely tall and intimidating man –around the mall for an uncomfortably long time, all the while giving me the same creepy stare, like a wolf who wanted to devour a smaller, weaker animal.
I still remember his face and my growing panic. It was terrifying because even the fact that I was with my mother, father and sister didn’t deter him from stalking me. He eventually lost interest, but I’ll never forget my terror. I had no idea what was going on. I was pre-pubescent and still looked very much like a child; at that time, I did not, in any way, think of myself as being attractive to anyone of the opposite sex, so I did not understand what was happening.
– Anonymous
This post is part of a back-to-school series to highlight the young age that street harassment begins. The stories in this series were shared as part of our recent survey on street harassment and age and they entail people’s first experience of street harassment. The full list of stories is available here.
As you read the stories, note that among respondents, 70% said they were 13 years old or younger at the time of their first experience. 24% said they were 14 to 16 years old. The remaining 6% were older than 16.
Need support?
Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910
