2 Don't Avoid Eye Contact

Blaming the victim for being victimized is always total bullshit. Always. But women are trained to go through life with our heads down and our eyes on the sidewalk, trying to make ourselves look as small as possible to avoid getting hurt, and thus having barely any awareness of what's happening around us. If you grew up in the kind of family or school where drawing attention to yourself landed you on the wrong end of some asshole's fists, you learn to go through life not "asking for trouble."

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For a lot of women who've been hit on or harassed by strangers, all too often, they're taught to blame themselves for "encouraging" things by making eye contact or even speaking. But when you shrink yourself and walk around with an invisible "Don't hurt me" sign on your forehead, you look like an easy target to exactly the kind of person looking to victimize someone.

More importantly, you're surrendering your ability to be aware of your own surroundings! Situational awareness is one of the biggest weapons you have against criminals. And we women are told to give it up in fear of making some dickhead think we're flirting. But a kidnapper is not playing by the same rules as some guy on the subway who wants your number. Self-defense experts from multiple disciplines agree that criminals are looking for easy targets, and the easiest targets of all are those who look timid and unaware aware of their surroundings.

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Nobody's saying you should stare someone down and start quoting lines from Predator. But a quick look that goes "Hey, I see you there" could be the difference between him choosing you or moving on. Remember, attackers are usually relying on the element of surprise. Worst-case scenario, if he does come after you, at least you'll know he's coming and can be prepared.