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Illustrated by: Paula Volchok

Name: Andrea González-Ramírez



Age: 24



Job Title: News Writer



Overall Experience: This was harder than I expected! Moving through New York is a delicate dance, because so often you find yourself in spaces that are insanely crowded. I tend to err on the side of getting out of other people's way. It's not even a conscious thing, it's just what I've been doing since I moved here three years ago. (Self-preservation, maybe? No one likes getting hit!) Therefore, this challenge required a lot of mental energy. I had to constantly remind myself not to get out of the way without reasonable cause (e.g. to make way for children, parents, or the elderly, or because I happened to have more space to maneuver in a crowded spot). Once I got the groove of it, it was really empowering and fun. I also endured fewer manslams than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise.



Anecdotes: On the second day of the experiment, I was walking to the train station after work. Unlike the first day, when I kept forgetting about the challenge, I was now hyper-aware of my surroundings and fully committed to not duck for any dude. During the first part of my walk, a couple of them got out of my way. I was with my mom on the phone when it happened: Two men were coming straight at me in a super crowded section of the sidewalk about 50 feet from my station. I was 100% sure neither of them would give in, so I looked at them in in the eyes and braced for the manslam on each shoulder. Instead, at the last second they both parted like the Red Sea. It was empowering as fuck, and it made me feel like I was Wonder Woman for a second before I burst out giggling. (Mami didn't get what had possessed me.) Drunk on this power, I hung up the phone and walked down the stairs to the station. I strutted through the place like I owned the damn thing.



Of course, here's where a dude twice my size decided he wasn't getting out of the way. He didn't exactly manslam me, but he did hair-check me. (Like a shoulder-check, but because he was so tall his shoulder brushed the area where the hair falls to the side of my face). He was dangerously close to leaving a nice bruise on my face. It seemed like he didn't move because he was expecting me to do so. And he didn't even apologize! Any other time, I would have been pissed, but I was still feeling the Wonder Woman magic. Looking back, I would have said something because he had more space than I did and could have altered his route to the side a bit, so he is the one who should have gotten out of the way.



Takeaway: As women, we often try the impossible to make ourselves invisible — to not occupy that much space and not disturb others with our presence, because that's what society teaches us. This was a liberating experience, and I'll try to practice this any chance I get (obviously making exceptions for the reasonable causes) in order to continue reclaiming my space in the world. 10/10 would recommend.



Number of body slams endured: 6.5*



*Includes hair-check.