A couple of men in my life have been making fun of me for being “afraid” (not sure if afraid is even the right word) of going places by myself, such as Walmart, the grocery store, various gas stations, anything.

I have seen a lot of news articles of suspicious activity involving men approaching young women around my age in an attempt to abduct them, sexually harass them, or in general, make them feel uncomfortable.

I am not someone who likes being in uncomfortable situations, and I prefer not to go places by myself to avoid the chance of any situation arising.

I know that this is somewhat of an irrational fear, but on the other hand, I feel like it is 100% rational to be afraid of a man approaching you in an attempt to take you, grope you, or do anything else, especially at 19 years old.

So what I would like to know is that i’m not alone in having this fear.