As a woman, you learn to live with a constant, low-level hum of vigilance. Society teaches a long list of “rules” to keep you safe: clutching your keys like a weapon, pretending to be on the phone, or sharing your location with a friend. Consequently, these actions become so ingrained they feel like second nature.
We perform these rituals for woman safety, hoping they will protect us. However, let’s be brutally honest: many of them are not as effective as we think. In many cases, these rituals amount to safety theater, a performance meant to make us feel in control in a world where we often are not. For that reason, it’s time to have a real conversation about what isn’t working.
