Recently, a man drove past me as I was getting in my car. My car has had a ding in the front fender for several years. He called me Sweetie. He shouted for me to let him fix my car, explained that he didn’t have a business car, but that he worked at a body shop, but didn’t want to say which one, and that he was trying to save me a lot of money by banging out the ding on the street right that moment, if I would only let him, and that he would charge me a certain amount of money, but if that was too much, how much was I willing to offer. He was relentless.
He pulled up next to me, with a passive, much younger female in the passenger seat, who never looked at me. I said NO from the start, clearly and distinctly. I said: No, thank you, I’m not interested, I’ve had this ding for years and it doesn’t bother me, I don’t understand the process of what you want to do to my car, and I don’t know you, or where you work, or who you are.
Finally, after growing more and more irate, he drove away super aggressively, furious in his face, body language, driving. I felt assaulted. He started off calling me Sweetie, and yelling/patronizing/berating me that I should let him do something for me, or else I was in the wrong. It felt exactly like dates I’ve had where I was treated with rage for saying NO. A few days later, I was unloading my massage table (I’m a licensed massage therapist) from my car, and a very young man, perhaps half my age (I am 46), asked if I would like some help. I’ve unloaded my table thousands of times after fourteen years in practice. I am twice this kids age. Still, he got angry, too, and turned on his heel, and angrily said, “I was only trying to help you!”
Two times where men/boys were trying to help me and furious at me for not allowing them. The age difference added insult to injury for me. I’d actually prefer to be called ma’am then this crap. I used to be street harassed constantly in the summer, due to having a curvy figure, and am thrilled with growing more invisible with getting older. I’m too old for this shit.
– Anonymous
Location: Seattle, WA
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