Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for February 2014

“I couldn’t just walk away and not say anything.”

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I was at the store, minding my business, when a man approached me and told me that I had “great birthing hips.” I turned around and told him that his comment was completely inappropriate and that he should probably never say it to anyone ever again.

This was the most violated that I have ever felt, but I was proud of myself for being able to stand up to him and say something. I deal with harassment on the streets pretty often, but this man took it to a new level. I couldn’t just walk away and not say anything.

– DA

Location: Denver, CO Grocery Store

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Art Exhibit: “This Is Not Hello”

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Nicole Capobianco is hosting an exhibit of photography and other media focused on street harassment next week in Brooklyn, New York.

Here’s more information about it from Nicole, if you’re in the area, I hope you can attend!

“This Is Not Hello” examines street harassment through various street art applied by women. Too often our voices are silenced and dismissed as street harassment continues to be trivialized in our culture and in public policy. This work bridges the connection between public space and the female body, as this art is surfacing on city streets for a reason.

Our presence in public signifies our independence, and thus we are so often reduced to mere sexual objects when we enter it. The contradiction in street harassment lies with our bodies being treated as public property while the behavior simultaneously reinforces that public space is not a space we are allowed to occupy safely. I hope this project allows for men to learn what it means to be an ally to our struggle and how important it is that they too participate in dismantling these behaviors.

This is about finding our voice, and finding the strength in ourselves, alongside others, to speak out fearlessly against patriarchal belittlement and abuse in all aspects of our lives. We will resist your culture and produce another.

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“I try to dress awful to be unnoticeable”

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I am a young professional woman, I try to look presentable everyday and I don’t wear provocative clothes. However, I still experience street harassment on an everyday basis whenever I go out in public areas or walk in the streets of Metro Manila. I frequently experience honks, leers, whistles, comments, but sometimes they even try to bump me or walk close to me. I am just sick of these things happening to me. I get frustrated, I want to shout at them and insult them because I want them to be disrespected just like how they made me feel.

But I can’t because I am also scared so I choose to ignore them. But I really want to avoid these experiences so sometimes I don’t make an effort to look good, I try to dress awful to be unnoticeable, I feel bad so I would look bad and unattractive to men.

– J

Location: Metro Manila, Philippines

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Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

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“It’s disgusting. It needs to stop.”

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I’m only sharing one story because the story is pretty much always the same.

It’s always at a gas station. It doesn’t matter which one or what time of day.

It happens as I’m walking from my car to the lobby to pay for gas. It happens on the way back to the car.

It happens when I’m by myself.

Telling someone they are beautiful may seem harmless or sweet. Yelling it at someone across the parking lot and telling them to “come over here and talk to me,” is not.

I’m just so sick of this shit. I’m sick of people brushing it off as “humble bragging” when you tell someone about it. It’s not “humble bragging.” It’s uncomfortable. It’s disgusting. It needs to stop.

I’m not your “shorty”, you can’t have my number, and you can’t hollar at me.

– Anonymous

Location: Olathe, KS

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Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

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“Show how powerful your voice can be”

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I was with several of my friends walking back from dinner that we try to have every couple of months because we live so far from each other. On the walk back home, a car full of what looked to be college guys slowed down and a guy’s head poked out the window saying, “I just want to let you girls know that you look beautiful…thank you girls.”

Two of the girls I was walking with were like, “Awwww that was so sweet!” and I just remember having a blank stare at them. I think it is disgusting for a guy to yell out at me no matter if it were PG or R-rated language because his intentions were not good.

The girls I hang out with I think lack confidence, and so do I, but I just wish we wouldn’t get on a high because of what a random guy thought of us. Having a guy catcall can feel like a confidence booster for some girls but I think it is important for a girls to realize they should not be treated like an object but an actual human being.

Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?

I think it is the man’s responsibility to end street harassment because they are mainly the perpetrators but for dealing with harassers, if you feel comfortable enough, try and stand up for yourself and show how powerful your voice can be.

– Anonymous

Location: Not included

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

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