I get harassed about once or twice a week when I leave the house. As soon as it gets nice out and I want to be outside, I get punished for being outside.

At this point, even though I’m terrified, I put on lipstick and dress in the way that makes me feel good. Because it honestly doesn’t seem to matter what I wear. I get harassed in sweatpants or skirts. I might as well look the way I want to look if it’s going to happen anyway. I’m officially tired of being scared. I refuse to change the way I behave because street harassing men think my body belongs to them when it is outside.

I’m taking back my streets.

And when I walk my dog, I’m holding on to her poop bags for that special kind of street harasser who seems to think he’s safe in his car.

Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?

We need awesome male allies who are willing to speak up when they hear or see nasty ideas arise or get enacted in their communities of men. If we create a culture of shame around these behaviors, we can help make a serious dent in street harassment, sexual assault, and domestic abuse.

– SF

Location: Philadelphia, PA

I was stuck next to a man on a crowded bus for 10 minutes who kept making comments about my appearance. He said I should fill the world with babies. “I will, sir, and I’ll fire them out of my vagina like a t-shirt cannon,” I thought. I very briskly walked back to my apartment when we both got off at the same stop. Ick.

– Anonymous

Location: Seattle, WA

It was the first time I felt truly independent, walking around the streets of NYC all by myself for the first time. I was walking around 59th St, looking for what boutique to go in next when suddenly a guy wearing baggy clothes and a cap (seemed to be almost all white) (he looked around his late teens), his eyes suddenly “met” mine as I was scanning the stores, I had a delicious smoothie on hand and as he was walking opposite me, he went closer and said, “Can I get a sip” in the most smug and disturbing way possible.

It annoyed me so much, I just walked straight passed him with a disgusted look on my face. I enjoy NYC so much every time I visit and this had to happen… Regardless, I tried not to let it stop me but now I tend to wear my sunglasses more often as I don’t want my eyes to cross paths again with somebody like him…

– Anonymous

Location: 59th Street near Lexington Avenue near Zara

Today I was on a 15 minute break from work and decided to grab some coffee. A food kiosk worker was giving out food samples and handed me some kettle chips… I was munching on them when some man who had to be at least 65 told me that I should throw them away, because he doesn’t like it when women with bodies like mine ruin it by eating junk food and getting fat. I went around the building so I could take a different elevator; 4 guys followed me across the parking lot, through the building and down the back corridor singing Baby Got Back. Thankfully, we have security guards and doors and they couldn’t follow me in.

– Anonymous

Location: In the parking lot of the building where I work.

I’m 14 years old. My story has two parts.

Recently, I had been at the mall with one of my friends, picking out a gift. We had finished choosing gifts, and were waiting for my parents to pick us up. It was a nice, warm day, and we decided to wait outside the food court. Out comes this MAYBE college age boy, an he begins to rap along with his iPod. I don’t think much of it until I hear someone of the things he had just said. “I wanna see your booty bumping ‘gainst my dick while I’m buzzing.”

What?

We head inside and wait, because that’s really weird. Pretty creepy.  He follows us inside, and we stand behind a large sign so he doesn’t see us. We see him again 30 minutes later, this time with my friend’s sister outside with us. When my parents arrive, he stops rapping.

After that, my friend had left with her sister, and my parents and I had sat down in the food court to eat. My dad joins us, and he sits next to me, oddly. My mom gives him an odd look and says, “What, you don’t want to sit by me?” He replies, “Not that, I want to keep an eye on this guy trying to look up my daughter’s skirt.”

A middle aged man had been trying to look up my skirt.

I am 14, and this man had a wife and little girl. He looked over at me several times during the period we had been eating.

I was scared to walk by him, which I had to do to get to the door.

– T

Location: Nebraska