I have never been the kind of girl that other women envy. I have never had a curvaceous figure, or particularly attractive looks. This is why I was so shocked when I was first harassed on the street. I was trick-or-treating with two of my female friends at the age of 15. It was about 9 o’clock, but we were in a quiet, mainly suburban area, and we weren’t worried about getting lost. We crossed a major street and walked in between a drugstore and an auto repair shop. We were headed to one of my friends’ houses, only a few blocks away. Since it was Halloween, we had all dressed up, me as the paper bag princess, and my friends as an angel and a Harry Potter character, respectively.
High on sugar and excitement, I didn’t notice the catcalls that were coming from the auto shop until my friend pointed them out. The men of the shop were smoking on the stoop, and a few of them had stood up and started to move towards us.
They said things like, “Hey there, pretty baby”, “Why don’t you come on over here and sit with me,” and the worst, “You sexy-a** bitches better get over here.”
We were all freaked out. Luckily, the men were most likely drunk, because they didn’t run after us as we hurried to the next street over, which was better lit and populated. My friend called her boyfriend to come and walk with us, and we stayed on the stoop of a well-lit house that was holding a sober party until he came to get us.
That night sticks with me, even now, because of the way that other people have responded when I told them about it. My male friends said that we should have known better, that wearing costumes is asking for attention.
That truly disgusted me. Is it really so acceptable for women to be harassed because they are celebrating a holiday?
My female friends and family said that we were stupid to be out that late, that we should have had a guy with us, and that we shouldn’t have called attention to ourselves. This made me feel even worse.
Is it really necessary in these modern times to have a watch-dog or guard on hand to prevent harassment?
– Anonymous
Location: Houston, Texas
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