I woke up this morning and I made the mistake of thinking I was a human being. Believing that my value was measured in the strength of my character, my solid work ethic, and my generous nature. But I was wrong. Apparently, my only value, lies between my legs.
Apparently, while every man I see walking down the street can have his own private thoughts, go about his business, and not get a second look from passersby, I on the other hand, at 5 feet tall and 97 pounds, wearing a baggy sweater in 85 degree heat, am the sexiest, most provocative creature to ever walk the earth, and not even baggy clothes can hide my incredibly distracting, mind-bogglingly perverse sexiness.
I am alternately leered at, shouted at, and stopped in my tracks by men so stricken by my beauty that they see fit to block my passage until I acknowledge them. And finally, I am called a bitch and a retard because I do not respond to their very emphatic comments about my inherent sexual magnetism.
When I find a cop to help me, he tells me, sorry, sexual comments on the street are protected by Freedom of Speech. So, after a day filled with humiliation and intimidation, I finally use my own Freedom of Speech to curse this last fellow out at the top of my lungs, until I am hoarse with the effort.
Somehow, I don’t feel better. Behind my rage, I was still scared of him, and he, thrice my size, merely surprised and amused. He knew I couldn’t hurt him. I knew he could kill me with one swing. Hours later, I’m still shaking with the risk taken.
– DS
Location: NYC: sidewalk near my apartment, then the street as I tried to hail a cab, then the subway, where I lost it.
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Concealed Weapon says
I hate when cops find excuses to not do anything. It is true that in some cases, it is free speech. For example, if they yell out the window and keep driving, there isn’t much the police can do. But in your situation you mentioned that they “block[ed your] passage until [you] acknowledge them”. That is harassment, and the police should have done something about it, but they probably dismissed your complaint before you had the chance to explain it.
Do not take it personally when they call you a bitch. They are cowards who cry when they get rejected, and bigger cowards because they get angry to hide the fact that they are crying. There is nothing wrong with you and everything wrong with them.
Do you wear a baggy sweater in 85 degree weather as a personal choice, or do you dress that way to avoid harassment? You don’t deserve to be forced to hide your body and sweat bullets just so people won’t harass you, not that it would stop the harassment anyway.
Do not let that one police officer stop you from reporting harassment in the future. Not all police officers are assholes like him.
Beckie says
I am so so sorry. Wouldn’t it be nice to imagine a world where we could walk and not think about our gender and protecting ourselves constantly! If we keep talking about it like you did, maybe some day. Even reporting to the police, we rarely do it exactly because of what you experienced, But still let’s bombard them. Let’s keep complaining. Let’s be audacious enough to change this screwed up male dominated world we live in!