Being a girl is already hard enough, with your vagina being a bloody mess, the cramps, being stared at in public, the body shaming and all that sh*t. To make it worse, we now are even exposed to the dangers of being followed. I mean, can’t a girl go out in peace without having to worry about you creeps who love to stare us down as if you’ve never seen a girl in your whole Goddamn life? All you guys out there that are freaking creeps, if you’re reading this, just know your that you’re a** is effing lonely cause no girl in their right mind would ever date you.
Now, for all the girls reading this, I assume you’re here cause you too had probably faced the same situation or you’re reading to find out how you can tackle such situations. First of all, some of you might have zero sense of danger – trust me, I know this because I have a friend that wouldn’t even know if an elephant was tracking her down from behind. Before we get into how to handle such situations, it’s important that you are fully aware of your surroundings, the person you are standing beside and if anybody at all looks suspicious to you.
Many times, we become so focused on our handphones that we aren’t even aware that another person is noticing our every move. So, always be on your guard cause you never know when a motherf*cker is going to come at you.
Now, what do you do when you realise you’re being followed?
1. Mix Up Your Walking Pace
This step is very helpful, especially to pin-point if that person is actually stalking you. By mixing up your walking pace, you will be able to confirm whether the person is keeping up with your pace and kind of mimicking your every move so they can be on track to catch up with you. Usually, when you mix up your pace, this is what happens: when you walk slow, they tend to walk slowly too and when you start walking faster they are likely to do the same thing. Once you have identified that the person is indeed following you, it’s time to handle this in the right way.
2. Pause And Turn Method
Alright, if your legs just can’t move any faster or you do not want to make it obvious by constantly changing your pace, the pause and turn method would work too. Typically, when a person is not following you and you suddenly pause to turn and look around, the person behind you will not portray any signs of shock or be flustered. The opposite of when the person is actually following you, when you make a sudden pause to look behind you, you will notice a change in their behaviour, in which they might get flustered, shocked and wouldn’t know what to do, so they tend to behave weirdly in that moment. And if you notice all this, then you have nailed your enemy down. Try to make it as natural as possible when pausing, like pause and turn around like you are looking for someone far behind.
3. Go Where The Crowd Is
I’m pretty sure you girls have been told this all the time, but it is true. A crowded place may just be the very thing that saves you from whatever it is the stalker is planning to do. Usually, in a crowded place, it will be pretty hard to carry out whatever evil shit they are plotting in their head. Also, the larger the crowd is, the harder it is for them to keep up with you. Try getting yourself in between people as you increase your walking speed. Another thing is that, if the stalker decides to visibly disturb you, when you start screaming or being uncomfortable, it is likely to catch the attention of the people around you, which gives away that you are being disturbed.
4. Changing Directions
It’s always important that you don’t only stick to one obvious routine when going back home or going to work. Learn multiple directions and shortcuts (but never use it when it’s lonely). When you often change your direction and if your stalker is following you for days now, he/she might be confused and possibly lose track. Another important thing to remember is to never give away where you live. Not even the area around your house. If you notice you are being followed, go somewhere else, like the mall or get down at another train station, that you know well, of course. Anywhere but your home. The last thing you want is for the stalker to find out where you live.
5. Inform Someone About Your Whereabouts
One habit that I have recently started adopting is to always share my live location with my mum and my friend before I leave my house and before I step out of my workplace. This is going to be a big help, especially if something were to really happen – at least your parents and friends would know where you are the whole day. Or if you know for sure that the creepy person is all up in your a**, you can do what I’d like to call “Oscar Worthy Acting”. A little bit of an exaggeration there, but what I would do is pick up my phone and pretend like I’m talking to my dad, informing him where I am and sometimes, when I’m having too much fun, I’d pretend that my dad is a police officer. Works like magic every time. Trust me, I’ve tried this a bunch of times and the minute I mention my dad, all of a sudden, my stalker doesn’t seem interested in me anymore.
6. Call The Police
Okay, so this is when things really get out of control and you need major help. When you can’t handle that creep any longer, look for the police or dial 999. If you take public transport like the train, then there will be a policeman located at every station. Go to them, run or scream, do whatever you can to get their attention, even if it means embarrassing yourself cause honey, you’re practically fighting for your life here.
And that’s basically it. These are little things you can do when you’re being followed. Of course, when you notice a pattern of following for awhile now it’s always best to report it to the police.
More on safety? Read these:
https://lipstiq.com/opinion/109224/5-safety-tips-for-a-night-out-with-your-girlfriends/
6 Ways Women Can Assure Their Safety When Taking Public Transportation
