I am a 15 year old American high school student who lives in Cairo, Egypt. My sister goes to college in the states and due to business my father is constantly traveling! So mostly it's just my mother and me. After living overseas for some time now, and returning to the states for summer vacation, I have realized the strong amount of 'male attraction' that one with white skin, blue/green eyes, and blond hair can cause here. I've learned to live with it, but my source of influence and confidence (my older sister) isn't here to help me out this time. I found myself the other day followed by a boy about my age. Anyway, I almost turned around and screamed curse words. How can I control this rage? Thanks, Catherine

I wish I had a quick remedy to make all of your frustration go away, but unfortunately, I don't. The one thing that I try to remember when I am about to explode is that it only encourages them to be more aggressive when you respond in any way. So I just ignore it. This doesn't mean that I deny it, I just pretend I don't see or hear them, because that is their whole point - for you to direct your attention to them, to say "stop"--and this only encourages them to say more. I've noticed, too, that when I don't even blink at them, they don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to respond to their gestures. I was in Egypt a few years ago. For the first time in my life, I felt like someone's possession. I noticed that if you walked down the street with a man, other men left you alone, because they assumed you were "taken." However, the minute I was walking with other female friends, there was so much unwarranted attention.

If you ask most women about unwanted attention, I think almost every woman has experienced it. That's the bad news. The good news is that if bond together enough--we could potentially change things. Sorry that you have to continually experience this, especially in an isolated environment.

—Amy