My mom warned me about the creepy guys and comments I’d have to face as a girl in a misogynistic society, but I didn’t realize how right she was. At 11 years old, I felt painfully insecure about my appearance, so I never thought receiving weird comments about how I looked was a possibility. I felt especially ashamed of my crooked teeth, so I went to get them fixed

My dad sat in a leather chair in the corner of the orthodontist’s office, tapping on his phone and bouncing his leg, the rustle of his jeans filling the silence. The fluorescent lights and scent of sterile dental instruments made my head hurt. I slid into the black orthodontic chair in the center of the room and stared at the white walls while we waited. After five minutes or so, the orthodontist walked in with swift, confident steps. He had thinning white hair, black-framed glasses, and pasty skin. I hated having male medical professionals because I was awkward. Women never patronized me for it, but whenever I was too quiet while talking to a man, I felt like a bunny staying completely still to hide from predators. They never made weird comments like Mom said, but they made me feel small. The orthodontist introduced himself as Dr. Wilson, and he instructed me to open wide. I obeyed, baring my ugly angled teeth. After shoving a dental mirror into my mouth, he observed the teeth that hadn’t fully emerged from my gums, the ones in the back that were so slanted that they were almost sideways, and the one front tooth that was higher than the other. When Dr. Wilson finished prodding around, he turned towards my dad.

“When we’re done with her, you’re gonna need a shotgun to keep the boys away,” he said. My dad awkwardly laughed as I sat there, feeling like that bunny rabbit again—completely still, wide-eyed, and weak. What did boys have to do with my teeth? I thought I was suffering in the orthodontic chair for braces, not the opposite sex. Had he ever told any boys that they’d need a shotgun to keep the girls away? I doubt it. When girls are quiet the way I was, they’re immediately assumed to be delicate and submissive, like the bunny hidden in plain sight. Boys are usually expected to be more confident and assured. Dr. Wilson took it upon himself to make me feel better or “save” me from my insecurity by utilizing my appearance. I felt too shocked to say anything, so when he turned to me, I just gave a twitch of a smile. He proceeded to talk about my teeth and then sent my dad and me on our way. On the drive home from the orthodontist, I thought about what my mom had told me about creepy guys and comments. Dr. Wilson’s words settled in the pit of my stomach. He made me feel like since I was too quiet to say much, people’s perception of me was all I had, so that’s all I was valued for. Staring out of the passenger window, I watched a mother hold her toddler-aged daughter’s hand and walk her down the sidewalk. My heart ached at the thought that the mother would soon have to warn her daughter like mine did to me. If I could talk to the girl, I’d tell her to be sure of herself. Weird men might say things that reduce her to her appearance like Dr. Wilson did to me, but if she knows she’s more than that; she can move past them. As long as she doesn’t buy into what men will say, she’ll be okay. I admired the little girl as she laughed, still oblivious to the reality we’re living in and flashing a bright, crooked-toothed smile.

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