Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for October 2011

Sexism in Movies

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I am writing in to tell you what I think of movies which sexualise women. Yesterday I watched a movie called “Grown ups”. It was supposed to be a comedy, yes some parts were funny. But I noticed there was some sexism in it too. And when putting it all together, I don’t think the movie sends a good message out to young men. (or women)

Heres what I noticed. In one scene, two men are talking and the one man asks the other man if the woman by the car is his nanny. The other man denys she is, claiming she is just “someone his wife knows” who is staying at their home.Then the other man said, “Your wife’s into chicks? Nice.”

Another scene later on in the movie features two young women (possibly teenagers) whom look like super models. Both are skinny with perfectly toned bodies, flawless skin, beautiful hair etc. Then theres a third girl who looks different, sslightly bigger in size, plainer but still pretty. However, the third girl is painted as unattractive whist the other two are “hot” and are sexually objectified by the men in the movie.

Theres also a child in the movie whom keeps mentioning “boobies,” which I felt was inappropiate for his age.

I generally felt that these scenes in the movie were sexist and rather degarding towards women. I particularly disliked how the two “hot” women were deemed as sexually appealing but the third girl was “fugly”. I feel that this gives out a message that all women should have super model looks otherwise you are not socially accepted. The movie also gives out an example that women are sexual objects to be enjoyed by men. I know there are lot’s of movies with sexism towards women but I just wanted to have my say on this one.

– Clarice

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Toronto police are at it again…

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Greenwood College via CNews

How would you feel if someone violated your privacy and space by following you, leering at you and then looking up the skirt of your school uniform while you were going to school? Then how would you feel if the response of local police was to tell you and your classmates to stop wearing your school uniform during your commute, indirectly blaming YOU for the victimization?

That’s exactly what happened to two female students at Greenwood College, a private high school in Toronto. After a man harassed them and looked up their skirts while they were taking the subway to school, the Toronto police advised the school principal to tell the female population to put on their school uniform at school instead of at home in the morning. The principal apparently supported the sentiments and shared the message with the whole school.

Via CNews:

“This bit of guidance was given to Allan Hardy, the school’s principal, by an investigating officer from 53 Division on Thursday after two of Greenwood’s female students — both decked out in the school’s uniform of skirt, shirt and blazer — were allegedly followed around and ogled by a man while on the subway earlier that morning.

The girls, who were on their way to school at the time, were travelling northbound, Hardy confirmed, adding that the suspect had been looking up the girls’ skirts.

Hardy relayed the officer’s advice in an e-mail to parents and teachers informing them of the incident. The Toronto Sun obtained the e-mail from a confidential source.

“This person was looking up the girls’ skirts,” said Hardy, who would not divulge the ages of the two students. “So the advice is given … if they had, for example, jeans or sweatpants on, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

This is not okay.

While sadly schoolgirl outfits are inappropriately sexualized and fetishized (e.g. see Britney Spears’ “Hit Me One More Time” music video, Halloween costumes, and video games) and that sexualization and fetishization does nothing to prevent the harassment of REAL schoolgirls, telling girls to not wear their uniform on the subway is not the solution.

Street harassment—including harassment on public transit systems—happens to many high school students regardless of what they wear. It happens even when they wear jeans and sweatpants! It happens to women who wear business suits, exercise clothes, and burqas! Since it doesn’t matter what we wear so dictating clothing choices as a prevention method is NOT okay or effective. And even if it was effective, the focus should still be on the HARASSER not the person facing harassment!

When someone sent me this story this morning, I was exasperated and shocked. Of all places for a police officer to say such an inappropriate comment, it happened in Toronto?!

In January a representative of the Toronto Police stated, “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” This remarked sparked SlutWalk Toronto and scores more SlutWalks around the world.

But apparently that message wasn’t clear enough. What more do we have to do so demand that police officers in Toronto and people around the world stop telling girls and women how to dress and inspire them to focus instead on solely stopping harassers and assaulters and ending the culture that fosters such harassment and assault?

Here’s an important op-ed by Monica Bugajski in response to the police’s reaction.

[Thanks Katie B. for the news tip]

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TONIGHT: NYC, Shine the Light on Domestic Violence

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Domestic violence impacts 1 in 4 women (and many men). Like street harassers, perpetrators of domestic violence engage in the harassing or violent behaviors not because of anything their target has done but because of their desire to exert power over the person. And most abusers, just like most harassers, get away with it, in part because of our culture of gender inequality and disrespect for women and the lack of prevention methods or penalties for abusers.

Fortunately, many organizations, people, and even governments speak out against domestic violence and work to make it unacceptable. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the government of New York City is taking action.

Tonight, you can help the Manhattan Borough President’s Office Shine the Light on Domestic Violence at Times Square in New York City. Meet there at 6:30 p.m. to hear speakers and receive information on what domestic violence is and what to do about it.

Stop Street Harassment is one of the many co-sponsors of the event and two of SSH’s male allies/volunteers (who each wrote male ally blog posts earlier this year: Alan Kearl | Nick W) will attend and help pass out informational packets, so look for them and say hello!

 

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Street harassment keeps her home

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I live on a busy high street and experience some level of sexual harassment pretty much everyday. Sometimes I find it so depressing it stops me from leaving the house. There is a butchers right next to my door, and the men who work there always like to leer and comment when I walk past.

One time I was walking on my own, in the day time, through a park nearby, and was confronted by one of these men who insisted that ‘he knew me’ and would not leave me alone. I responded, as I largely do, by ignoring him, which left me feeling frustrated and powerless. Luckily on this occassion he did not pursue me, but I still felt vulnerable and somewhat violated.

Sometimes I lose it, and have formerly told street harassers to ‘fuck off’, but that only seems to instigate some sort of self righteous or aggressive response where I get called a bitch or told that it was just a compliment.

To be honest I never really know what to do, and find myself walking on with my head down, humiliated. Recently at a party I was chatting to a man who found my stories of sexual street harassment completely incredulous, asking me in a bemused fashion ‘what? these can’t be English men…’.

I have experienced sexual harassment from every kind of man imaginable- of course including English men- alone and in groups. It is a male-wide epidemic. The lack of comprehension as to the daily experiences of so many women seems completely inaccusable to me, and I full heartedly support any endeavour that aims to not only stamp out street harassment, but educate men as to the full implications such behaviour have upon women.

– Anna

Location: London, UK

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

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Street Respect: Language check

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This is part of the Monday series “Street Respect. “Street respect” is the term for respectful, polite, and consensual interactions that happen between strangers in public spaces. It’s the opposite of “street harassment.” Share your street respect story and show the kind of interactions you’d like to have in public in place of street harassment.

I was waiting at a bus stop (a layover en route to university) near a hospital in a nice enough part of town. Two gentlemen joined me at some point. Based on their conversation and demeanor, it seemed they had some recent experience in jail or maybe prison. At one point, one of them cursed and his companion responded, “Watch your mouth. There’s a lady present.”

As a sociologist, I know that social decorum is sometimes lost (if not simply rusty) after time spent “inside.” I was warmed in that regard . . .

– MCM

Location: 1201 West 38th Street, Austin, TX 78705

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