It’s 2024, yet scary and avoidable instances of violence, wherein men believe they have the right to lay their hands on a woman, still occur far too often.
“This is what’s wrong with women.” the man in this case allegedly said, after making a trio of friends uncomfortable with his inebriated presence. Then, disrespecting their wishes to be left alone, he proceeded to throw TikToker Zoë Rae off the lifeguard’s tower she was sitting on. Her fall resulted in a collapsed lung and a 4-day hospital stay.
In the TikTok video she shared recounting the incident, Zoë said, “If you are a woman and you have been in an uncomfortable situation with a guy, a lot of times all you feel you can do is laugh it off.”
This is the kind of situation one brings up whenever someone does not understand how women can feel threatened by an unknown man crossing the line into their personal space. Not all men are like this, we cannot generalize, but enough men can behave in this manner to prompt many women to act defensive in similar circumstances — it might not be “all men,” but unfortunately, this reality is for all women. This story also provides another example of how telling someone “no” or to “go away” is frequently not enough to make the person understand boundaries.
Hey! Drunk man! Leave them kids alone!
It is incredibly ironic for a man to tell a group of girls “This is what’s wrong with women” when he is the embodiment of what is wrong with some men. While, at no point, did he feel his safety threatened by the three girls, the same cannot be said for them.
“Immediate spartan kick that a**hole off the tower.” Wrote one netizen, while many others were vocal about their advice for Zoë to press charges.
With a collapsed lung, Zoë had to spend four days in the hospital. A few days after relaying the story on the social media platform, the TikToker posted a video exposing the aggressor.
A few users seemingly recognized the man, having worked with him in the past. Others also believed to have come across him before. To one of these commenters, Zoë replied: “Oh no pls avoid him if you see him again! There are other accounts of him harassing women – which is why I’m trying so hard to press charges.”
Later, in August, Zoë posted another update on the situation, this time letting her followers know about a particular challenge that the ongoing investigation may face:
Although an investigation is underway, Zoë shared the man’s photos in the hopes that others will be mindful not to approach him. Whether this person will face the legal consequences of his belligerent, ill-natured actions remains to be seen.