As a senior now living in L.A I’ve experienced my fair share of street harassment. I was a freshman the first time I was harassed. I remember it very clearly. I was walking home from school alone when I saw two men leaning against a wall smoking. They looked about twenty, and as I walked by they blew puffs of smoke in my face making me cough. I felt disgusted; defiled. They started leering at me, saying things like, “Ooh yeah I like that ass,” and, “Hey Babe where you going?” I never looked them in the eyes; I just kept walking. I put a wide birth between myself and them, wanting to never ever experience street harassment again. However, my high school years would bring many many more experiences like this, and I’d learn to deal with it.
Optional: Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?
I would suggest you tell them off if you feel safe. You can even flip them off if they are honking or shouting things at you out of their car.
– Anonymous
Location: California
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea
