I ended up walking home last night due to a huge traffic jam. As I was passing along the sidewalk some men hanging from the side of a jeep started calling out to me. “Hey miss,” they jeered, laughing all the while as I tried to ignore them. I felt very self conscious as I was wearing a form fitting office attire and very dark red lipstick. I know I shouldn’t feel regret at my choice in clothing and I should not be harassed because I looked great, but it happened and it irritated me to no end. I did not dress up to be attractive to others, I dressed up for myself. And yet there they were, these ignorant men, calling at me from the safety of their jeep.
“Good evening,” I replied, “be safe you guys. I don’t want you to die. You might fall off that jeep and die. We don’t want that.”
They looked at each other and spoke loudly back, “We didn’t think you’d respond.”
“Try not to die,” I replied, emphasizing die.
“Wow miss, thanks.”
The jeep sped away and they waved at me as they said, “Goodbye, Miss!”
And I waved back at them. My stomach did a flip. F**k those guys.
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
Men should be educated about harassment and gender sensitivity. I know the men who harassed me were very uneducated and were not that bright.
– Maxi B
Location: City
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.
