After being harassed in the streets every day during my commute to work and over my lunch hour when I left the building to find food, I had had enough. A man on his bicycle waiting at the door of an apartment made the kissy sound, you know the one… it makes my skin crawl every time I hear it. I had just come from Starbucks and had a full coffee. I turned around and told him to f**k off, stop harassing women, I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit opinions about my body.
He looked at me and smiled viciously, dramatically pursing his lips again and making the sound, he seemed excited for my angry reaction. I saw red, took the top off my coffee and threw the full thing in his face.
As I walked away he was screaming behind me, “You crazy, dumb bitch.” I kept walking as he was screaming, and everyone around me was laughing like it was hilarious. I hate my body sometimes, I hate being inside of it, I hate being SO AWARE of it all the time. I want to be left alone, I want to be able to get lunch in peace.
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
Laws must be made AND ENFORCED.
– Anonymous
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more ideas.
mook says
I think it’s great she did this. Consequence will make harassers think twice.
But I think everyone who sees a scene like this should engage, not just the victim. To show the harasser it is not ok, that even if the victim does not react, that behaviour will not fly – and more importantly to make it safer for the victim, to prevent retribution from the harasser (at that moment or later). If she is perceived as the only one who has a problem with the behaviour, she might be in danger. If a whole group reacts everyone will be a lot safer.