@gabriella.goddard: Disclaimer: I am sharing this story for awareness as to why some women feel unsafe in public and why a simple action of them smiling at strangers can make them vulnerable to unwanted, and sometimes even dangerous, attention. I am absolutely NOT saying all men are like this, but once you have an experience such as this, it’s hard to act the same way in public as you would before. Of course there are still many cases where I smile and very happily engage with people in public, but people have to realise that women having their guard up and not smiling it’s not because they “hate men”, it’s simply a reaction they now have based off their own and other women they know’s uncomfortable experiences. Naturally at a 19 year old I was a bit naive to the world (especially to the actions of some men). Although this situation definitely could’ve turned out worse, it stuck with me forever that I will never know what someone’s (men and women’s) intentions are and I suppose to keep my guard up a bit more for that reason. It frustrates me so much when people make comments around women not smiling enough, most likely assuming that we’re all miserable. But that’s not the case. The majority of women would love to smile more, but that one little gesture can have more of an impact that most men realise. They take it as an invitation, a ‘sign’ or an attempt at flirting, when in fact it is usually none of those things. And now women feel u comfortable to do so without feeling like they’re vulnerable. I’m absolutely not saying that women shouldn’t smile and I’m definitely not saying to men that you should never approach a woman in public, but there’s way to do it without invading a woman’s personal space or making her feel uncomfortable. #20s #MentalHealth #consent #lifelessons #relationships

Gabriella | £100k at 23🌻

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Monday 10 August 2026 16:37:49 GMT