Ivy, an anonymous blogger in Beirut, Lebanon, takes issue with a new Ministry of Tourism ad and feels it will promote street harassment.
The following is from her blog, opening with her street harassment experiences (which she has written about before):
“It could be an overtly–friendly smile from the old sleazy neighbor who may insist on inspecting your outfit as you step into your car.
It could be the big black tinted Range Rover that will drive parallel to you for a good ten minutes, blocking traffic only to pull down his window and graphically explain to you how we would like to have his way with you.
When he’s finally gone you somehow end up behind a pick-up truck full of men seated in the back, who won’t miss a chance to stare, wave, and laugh. Behavior similar to that of predators in a jungle informing the rest of the hungry pack that they spotted the prey of the day.
It could be the parking guy who leaves other parking cars struggling only to suddenly land right in front of your car door just in case you were to flash some skin as you made your rough exit. Sometimes you even swear he makes you park so close to other cars because he secretly enjoys watching you wrestle your way out.
It could be the nasty cab driver that won’t let you cross the street because he keeps honking at you for a ride, and when you finally tell him to MOVE, he’ll yell out a profanity.
It could be the car that finally stops to allow you to cross the street, only to see a guy and his buddy high-fiving each other and winking at you as you scruffily make your way to the sidewalk.
You finally enter the office, a big sigh of relief; you’re finally away from the zoo out there only to be greeted by the company driver who decides to give you the final inspection of the day as his gaze locks on your chest and says “ Bonjour Ya Amar keefna ilyom.?”
It could be you. So you hurry to the closest mirror, convinced you may be experiencing some sort of wardrobe malfunction, but you’re actually wearing a full-out pantsuit.
So thanks to our heroes at the Ministry of Tourism, sexual harassment may just triple this summer, since they’re now promoting Lebanese women in their campaigns to lure in more “hungry” male tourists!“
Boo, Ministry of Tourism, for using women as objects and creating an environment where it seems okay to objectify and harass them.
Activists in Lebanon recently participated in the June 20 day of blogging against street/sexual harassment and last year, the Lebanese League of Independent Activists launched cartoon character named Salwa who fights sexual harassment.
It sounds like these activists have their work cut out for them if the rest of the government’s attitude toward women is anything like that of the Ministry of Tourism!
beckie says
what a horrible tourist video!!!! ugh!