This personal trainer’s essay about sexual harassment is SO important

Erin Bailey is a personal trainer (and all around kickass woman) who recently wrote an essay on her blog called, “What do we deserve?” describing numerous instances when she’s been catcalled and ogled by men on the street when simply trying to exercise. She recalls one particularly traumatic experience that occurred in the park when she was doing an outdoor bootcamp workout.
“[I] had a guy come over to me from across the park and start talking to me from a few feet away. I took my headphones out thinking he was asking me something, instead my ears were filled with profane things he ‘wanted to do to me.’”
Instead of letting her anger and disgust overwhelm her, Bailey ended up channelling her feelings into a list of what every single woman deserves.
“We deserve not to feel silenced by your yells. We deserve to feel empowered for bettering ourselves. We deserve to feel sexy in our own skin without feeling like we’re here to bait you. We deserve to speak out without the threat of you lingering on our minds. We deserve to run outside. We deserve to be judged on our merits, not our outfits. We deserve more. A whole lot more.”
The essay has received thousands of comments, some from men who tried to defend catcalling as totally harmless, or worse, a “compliment.” UGH SO MUCH ANGRY!!!!
Idiot commenters aside, we’re so glad Bailey penned this essay and didn’t let her voice be silenced. She’s speaking for each and every one of us, and for this, WE THANK HER!