Quite honestly, no matter what I do, where I am, what I happen to be doing, or who I am with, this stops me dead in my tracks and stops my brain from temporarily working every single time it happens.
What I feel is a combination of shame and fear.
These two feed off each other:
I’m afraid, because I’m reminded that I’m physically weak. The “groper” is exerting their physical dominance on me, and I honestly can’t do a thing about it.
I’m ashamed, because I am being made to feel less than. The very act of groping is a violation, and I’ve done something to make this other person feel that they need to act out in this way toward me. Be it something I’ve said, did, even just my very presence – they felt the need to act out and set their world back to the way it needs to be.
This brings me to shock, because my brain is working more slowly than normal (due to being afraid and ashamed). In the shock state, I’ll have some access to analysis and see if there’s anything I can do to extricate myself from the situation. If I can, I will.
But the damage has been done. The other person has already gotten what they wanted – they’ve made me feel the humiliation they intended me to feel to make themselves feel better.
Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/What-does-it-feel-like-to-be-groped
Originally Posted On: 2016-01-10