Sexist.

For someone who would often remind me that I’m too “chubby” for my own good and for someone who would at times make me feel unattractive through certain jokes, I often wonder why he would often get mad at me for going out at night. After all, who am I possibly ever going to bait? What annoys me the most is that for a man who only truly met me a year ago, he’s quick to think that a woman like me is quite defenseless. Funny how he’s never seen me win a Taekwondo competition, get beaten up, run after and fight off a snatcher or go home and leave for school two hours later.

Women today are quite different. We are no longer brainwashed to be the damsels in distress. In fact, I think we’ve quite outgrown that. Yes, we may be more adventurous but we are also more cautious. We are not stupid. We know that there are people out there who would intentionally harm us simply because we are born with a vagina instead of a penis. Thus, we avoid those people. We know that there are places out there that can swiftly make us easy targets simply because we have breasts. Thus, we avoid those places. Again, we are not stupid. We seek adventure not danger.

I’m not saying that you should stop reminding us to stay safe because I know you only say those things because you care. I know that even though I text you at night and tell you I’m on my way home, you still call five minutes later because you’re a little bit paranoid about your 21 year-old little princess.

But there’s a fine line between caring and oppressing someone. The same way there is a fine line between being chivalrous and being sexist.

So when you scream at me and tell me that I’m a girl and imply that I cannot (for the love of everything that there is) protect myself and that there are people out there who will do me harm, I tell you this:

Bad things happen to both men and women. A man can be raped almost the same way a woman can. A man can be robbed the same way a woman can. A man can be shot the same way a woman can. A man can be beaten to death the same way a woman can. In the end, regardless of our sex, orientation and preference, we all simply die.

So the next time you scream at me and tell me that I am helpless to the bad things that will surely happen to me, calmly say it this way:

"I know you’re brave and you’re prepared. I know that you are not helpless and that to some extent, you can defend yourself. But remember, be cautious of where you go, how you go there and the people you meet while you’re there. Be cautious of what you drink and what could happen. I trust you but remember to stay safe."

Only when you can calmly remind me to stay safe and sincerely say those lines to me will I truly feel that I am safe because no matter how young you want to be perceived or how cool you want to be, you’re still a little bit sexist.

And being that is so old school.

Well, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.

- Someone Anxious.