You’re at Northgate. Some guy is talking to you. You can feel his hot breath on your face. 

You’re annoyed. Maybe you’re freaked out. Who actually needs to be standing that close to you? A creep does. A creep is an individual who is disturbingly ‘eccentric’ and devoid of social graces. Texas A&M has well over 55,000 undergraduate students; how can you identify a creep before you end up writing a post on Reddit?

First, a creep chooses to violate social norms time and again. For example, let’s say this person is an acquaintance from work. You do not consider this person a friend at all. However, they insist on asking you questions about your personal life all the time. 

“Do you ever sleep over at your partner’s?”

“What do you wear when you go to sleep?”

“Do you think you’ll break up soon?”

Obviously, that’s creepy. Some people take their creepiness in a different direction, though. Somehow, they know too much about you. You’re telling a vague story about your middle school best friend and someone pipes in with “Which one? Megan or Rachel?” 

Sure, you may have mentioned her on your Instagram … seven years ago. But your account is set to private, and you never share it with anyone at work. How could this someone have known her name? Because they’re creepy.

Let’s say you ignore these red flags, or maybe they hide them till you’re in a relationship. But now, all you see are red flags. A creep disrespects boundaries like it’s a 9 to 5. These boundaries may be physical or sexual in nature; however, those people are generally called perverts. Creeps disrespect everyday boundaries. Maybe you don’t like flowers in your bedroom. A creep will buy a vase and put it in the dead center of your desk. Maybe you’re not comfortable discussing your medical history. A creep will push you to explain or inquire over and over again. Maybe you’re not comfortable with giving this person a key to your place. They’ll whine and moan about how you never loved them. That’s what a creep does. Their reasoning generally revolves around some obscure misogynistic or homophobic reason you don’t want any part of.

Don’t excuse that behavior, and don’t try to fix it. If you need a fun project, foster a kitten that needs to learn to socialize. You know better.

Never be afraid to use your pepper spray. 

Love,

     Bettye