We can see.

This is an open letter to every man, living in this country who fails to realise that he isn't staring in a way that is obscure enough because news flash: we have eyes. We can see. And we do see.

You think that you are molesting us with your eyes and we are not realising it. You think that each time you look at us, we do not realise how with each blink of your eyes, you've removed another piece of clothing off our bodies in your head.
You think just because we look the other way we are oblivious to your lecherous, rascally smile which by the way just conveys the joy your inner sexual pervert and voyeur is experiencing.

Whatever your thoughts, don't think them. They are as much of a lie as the 'respect' you have for us.

The part where you presume that we dress to please you, purge it out of your system because we certainly don't. That girl whose legs made you salivate more than Pavlov's dog, is wearing that pair of shorts because Mumbai is a really humid city. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CATERING TO YOUR ENTERTAINMENT.

We do not belong to you. Our bodies do not belong to any of you, so stop looking at us with that sense of ownership.

This non-consensual undressing that you carry out in your head, is nothing short of a rape. It is nothing short of a crime. In case you didn't realise, we do not want it. And we are definitely refusing it.

Imagine living in a world where every move you make, every step you take is not only observed but ends up being next to pornographic material in somebody else's mind. Imagine that feeling of being caparisoned in a world where the thoughts of the opposite sex, about your outfit, determine what you will wear.
Imagine a life where you are nothing but a sexual object, no matter what you wear.

Yes. That's what I thought, sounds frustrating, doesn't it?
That's been our story, for decades.
And it is in your hands, to change how this story ends.
Don't take it to the level where the woman who ignores your stares, is forced to gorge your eyeballs out because trust me, most of us, are right around that alley.

Reconstruct your psyche. It is high time.
And thank you, if you DO end up doing the same.

*On a side note, I do realise men are hormonally hard wired to look at other women and vice-versa but what I'm referring to here, is the uncalled for staring and lewd/obscene looks.