Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

USA: Shorts Are Not a Welcome Mat for Harassment

By

By Natasha Vianna, SSH Correspondent

I was just 12 years old when I first experienced street harassment. While on a 2-month trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, I was walking down the street in shorts, a tank top, and flip-flops when I passed by an outdoor bar. The group of men, drinking in the hot sun, all put their beers down and started making comments about my cousins and me.

As a young girl, I knew this was wrong and it made me feel so unsafe and scared. It was as if we were walking by purely for their viewing pleasure. We were simply players on their field and the sport was walking. Like commentators, they began narrating our walk and highlighting every detail. “Look at how sexy she walks.” “Oh my God, what a nice ass.”

And as my heart raced in nervousness, my cousins seemed unbothered. When we turned the corner and could no longer hear the men, I asked her what the hell that was about. My oldest cousin (only 14) looked over and I repeated what those men said to us. She giggled and asked me if that was the first time I heard men catcall. I blushed thinking that I now made myself look immature and said yes. “Oh hunny. That’s normal! Men will say things to you and you just have to stare straight forward and pretend you don’t hear anything. Men like that anyway.”

They all laughed at me and I never talked brought it up again.

When I came back to America, I brought an album of pictures into school from my trip to Rio. As the girls and boys in my class flipped through the album, they began to ask me about the trip. I told them it was great, it was hot, and that the guys were creeps. I remember telling them about the constant comments the older guys would shout at girls and one of the girls looked at me and said, “Well what do you expect? If you’re gonna wear shorts that short, expect to be treated like a slut.”

And so it began.

I got so angry. I tried to explain that people in Brasil dress differently than people in America because it’s extremely hot all year round and having a tan is a universal want. The less clothes you wear, the cooler you feel and the better the tan you will have. Yet, here I was defending the way we dressed instead of talking about the real issue – street harassment. I was being driven into a rant about why I wear what I wear instead of getting closer to feeling sympathy from my peers.

Some girls rolled their eyes and told me that I wore short shorts in Rio for attention and that if I was upset because of the attention, than I should wear pants. It was a frustrating and a very nonsensical conversation that ended sourly.

It didn’t occur to me until a few years ago that the people really don’t understand street harassment and the effect it has on women and on young girls, as I was a very young girl in no way looking for attention from men.

Today, I know that whenever I am harassed, it can quickly escalate into something much worse than just “hey baby”. If I don’t respond in a way that my harasser respects, my face could be the next one to have to defend the stigma of rape and harassment. Why were you dressed that way? Why were you out at that time? Why were you alone?

And as I spend my time defending my choice of clothes, another young girl becomes a victim because she was too hot to wear pants.

Natasha Vianna, a fearless activist and young feminist, is a freelance writer and blogger based out of Boston, MA. Follow her on twitter!

Share

USA: How we can take back the streets?

By

By: Erin McKelle, SSH Correspondent

We all know that street harassment is a huge problem and that we must work hard to end it. Street harassment happens to (by conservative estimates) 80% of women and because of how prevalent it is in our society and around the world, it means that the issue is that much more important and that ending it is that much more critical.

So the question is, how can we take back the streets? Not just for ourselves, but for every woman who has ever been harassed? How can we make the streets safe for everyone and create safe public spaces? It’s obviously a daunting task, so how can we go about it?

The answer lies in activism and taking an active role as bystanders. We have to be willing to not let things slide that make us uncomfortable or that are clearly sexist. It’s about going against the grain and letting harassers know that what they are doing isn’t okay.

To give a better and more thorough understanding of this, here is a list of 5 ways that you can take back the streets, whether you are the target of harassment, seeing harassment happen to someone else or are just simply wanting to make a difference.

1)    Stand Up to Harasser’s…if you feel safe, of course. The best way to do this is to use strong and assertive body language and speech. Tell the harasser directly exactly what they did that that was offensive and to stop. Keep your composure and remain cool, calm and confident. If you don’t feel safe enough to directly stand up to your harasser, report your story to Stop Street Harassment and/or Hollaback! to raise awareness and indirectly stick up for yourself. You could also report the incident to the police (although you may or may not have success with this) and take a picture or video of the harasser with your cell phone.

2)    Be an Active Bystander and help others who are experiencing harassment. If you see someone being harassed, step in and try to diffuse the harasser and also look out for the victim. Depending on the circumstance, you could use a distraction to get the harasser’s attention away from harassing (for example, asking them for directions), pull the victim aside and ask if they are okay and need help or even directly call out the harasser in front of a crowd, which will probably shock them and cause them to stop. Just be mindful of safety, the situation and use your judgment to form the best plan of action.

3)    Actively Resist and take action to create social change. Hold a march or rally to protest street harassment, create a short film or vlog on the issue or even leave information about Stop Street Harassment in public restrooms, subway cars or sidewalks. Volunteer or write an op-ed for organizations that work to end street harassment. Do something to get other people’s attention and raise awareness about the issue. Be creative and use your imagination

4)    Be an Advocate and talk to people young and old about street harassment and start conversations with friends and family. By talking about the issue openly, you are creating a safe space for others who have probably experienced the same thing and are simultaneously educating and erasing the stigma around street harassment. You could also act as a mentor to young boys and girls and talk to them about why harassment is not okay and empower young women to stand up for themselves and know that they never deserve or are inviting harassment.  Also, think about starting a town hall at your school or work to get your colleague’s talking about the issue.

5)     Use Social Media: Tweet information, facts and statistics about street harassment on your Twitter or Facebook page. It’s a very easy way to get a lot of people to engage with this issue and to make others aware of what street harassment is and how to end it. If you want to tweet your harassment story, include the hashtag #streetharassment or #hollaback and it will be added to the @Catcalled @ihollaback and/or the @StopStHarassment Twitter thread.

Remember, no action is too big or too small and any and everything you do to take back the streets brings us one step closer to ending street harassment for good.

Erin is an e-activist and blogger based in Ohio. You can find more of her work here and here.

Share

USA: Fighting the Mashers

By

By: Talia Weisberg, SSH Correspondent

Street harassment is a daily phenomenon in every pocket of the United States during the present day. Interestingly, this social trend can be dated back to the late 1800s in America.

Back then, street harassment was called mashing. There are actually records of women who physically exacted revenge on their harassers. In 1904, a Manhattan woman arranged to meet privately with a masher so she could beat him up. Two years later, when a woman boxer in Massachusetts was grabbed by a man, she knocked him out and then revived him with smelling salts out of pity. Other women slapped mashers in the face with their handbags and umbrellas, gave them swollen eyes, and even lacerated their faces.

The police of the early 1900s were very active in combating street harassment. Female officers were often put in charge of catching mashers, and were usually extremely successful. In New York City, a group of jiu jitsu-trained policewomen called the Subway Squad patrolled the trains as plainclothes officers, looking out for mashing. In both the subway and aboveground, mashers were often caught through stings, where they had female officers or harassed women serve as bait to entice the would-be masher.

Interestingly, many victims of street harassment pursued legal justice against mashers. By the 1920s, women were likely to sue because of the availability of private hearings and public encouragement. This era was also the Jazz Age, when women began exploring their sexuality. Since they had gotten the right to vote in 1920, women felt more liberated. A possible result of this increased sense of self is that women were more likely to value their bodies, and were apt to prosecute a man for violating their space.

Men had mixed responses to mashing. Male officers were often apathetic towards victims of street harassment, part of the reason women police became so vital to the cause. However, many men in the force championed the anti-mashing cause. For example, after learning about a “masher’s corner” on 125th Street in Manhattan, the police chief stationed additional officers there. In general, men did take an active stand against street harassment. The Anti-Mashing Society was established in 1903 by a group of men frustrated by the mashing epidemic, and numerous men physically protected women who were being mashed.

What lessons can we, as anti-street harassment activists, learn from the history of mashing?

As effective as it may have been in the early 1900s, it may not be wise for us to support women beating harassers with their handbags. However, self-protection is vital, and women must be able to learn how to effectively protect themselves from street harassment. We cannot, however, pin the responsibility on women to not be harassed. We must educate men not to harass, and work with like-minded men to encourage their brethren to respect women’s space on the street. Our mission is to shift the social paradigm and change people’s attitudes. Hopefully, the term street harassment will sound just as foreign to our children as the term mashing does to our generation.

Talia Weisberg is a Harvard-bound feminist hoping to concentrate in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Her work has appeared in over 40 publications and she runs the blog Star of Davida blog (starofdavida.blogspot.com).

Share

USA: Sky’s Out, Thighs Out

By

By Lauren Duhon, SSH Correspondent

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, spring is here, summer is right around the corner and the warmer weather is here to stay. With higher temperatures and sunnier days, it’s time to break out the short shorts, sundresses and swimsuits. Fewer clothes shouldn’t be a reason to justify sexual harassment, but all too frequently I hear men making comments, usually not in a discrete manner, as young women emerge from winter’s cold embrace.

Walking through campus on any given day, I’ve heard countless guys comment on the anatomy of female students; stripping them down with their minds bit by bit like they’re some type of prey for the taking. “Oh, man, did you see that ass?” Charming, isn’t it? A different situation happened to me the other day at a festival. I was wearing a dress when a guy walked up to me, looked right down my dress, made a comment about my breasts and then tried to strike up a conversation about my camera (I was taking photos for my university’s newspaper). The “best” (for lack of a better word) one I’ve heard is “sky’s out, thighs out,” which several of my friends use in reference to the female students and their shorter shorts during this time of year.

All too often I find myself looking into the mirror before I leave my apartment and wanting to put on more clothes in an attempt to avoid unnecessary commentary that I may come across during the day.  And, most of the time, I have grown to dislike the warmer months simply based on the fact that you are less covered and feel more vulnerable. As if I feel like I have to be more modest. Not everyone may feel this way, but I shouldn’t feel ashamed for my clothing decisions. What I choose to wear shouldn’t affect my day-to-day life, nor should some random man influence that decision.

I blame society for perpetuating the wrong idea. The way a woman dresses shouldn’t define or insinuate any sort of action from the opposite sex. Don’t say it’s okay or everyone does it, because it’s not and no one should. Everyone is naturally attracted to others, that’s the normal part. But, that doesn’t grant anyone a free pass to harass others as they please.

So, next time you see an attractive girl, please think about what you’re doing. Street harassment is not a compliment. No one wants to be catcalled or whistled at. Keep your thoughts to yourself and avoid making any vulgar comments. I’d like to walk down the street with confidence knowing I won’t feel attacked for my outfit of choice.

Lauren Duhon is a student journalist from LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

Share

USA: Government Policy and Street Harassment

By

By Sean Crosbie, SSH Correspondent

Street harassment is a pervasive problem that has both public and private effects. Street harassment has psychological impact, including feelings of humiliation and worthlessness. This has negative consequences on how people interact with one another in public spaces that are supposed to be inclusive and safe for all. There is a debate on what measures local and national governments should take to combat street harassment and create the safe spaces that everyone deserves.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about how the culture of hypermasculinity creates the mentality that causes street harassment. The two women I interviewed for the post also had strong opinions on the role that local and national governments can play in alleviating street harassment. Both women agree that one of the most important initiatives any government can implement is a program of educating men and boys about the dangers of street harassment. Interviewee 1 noted the importance of local governments to fund anti-street harassment initiatives for public transportation. Here, she talks about the great first step WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) has made in preventing street harassment, but also what Metro can do to better enforce their policies:

I would like to see Metro put some teeth behind their campaign to stop harassment on the metro. …There are still numerous women who feel nothing was done in response to their complaints. I know I, personally, would probably not take the time to find a Metro employee and report “minor” harassment just because it seems like a waste of time. Until Metro employees (and police officers) truly understand what a threat this kind of harassment is, and treat it with as much respect as a mugging or assault, we won’t feel safe, and we won’t bother reporting the incidents.

Women need to feel that the government will back up anti-street harassment initiatives with effective action. The attitude that street harassment is “no big deal” or “a compliment” prevents local law enforcement from taking strong action. These attitudes cannot be reversed unless governments work to educate men and boys about the severity of street harassment. Interviewee 1 advocates for mandatory harassment training at all levels of schooling:

We also need mandatory harassment training in high schools, as well as in college. Awareness is key, so the more men are aware of how this behavior makes women feel, the greater the chance that we will see real change.

Interviewee 2 believes that this education should start as early as 6th grade:

The school district that I come from starts health education at sixth grade. Perhaps street harassment can be a conversation that starts then, too.

There is a tremendous amount that governments can do to combat street harassment. Both of my interviewees focused on reversing the dismissive attitude that some men and boys have with regard to catcalling. Since these ways of thinking begin early in men’s socialization, it’s necessary to start teaching men early on in their education against committing or tolerating degrading acts towards women. A shift in the way society views behavior like catcalling is needed for street harassment to be taken more seriously. This can also inspire government programs that are responsive and make women feel both safe and that their voices are being heard. But we need the societal shift to happen in conjunction with public policies – both are necessary for change.

Sean has written for Stop Street Harassment since April 2011.  He is a library/research assistant at a labor union in Washington, D.C. and holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from American University.

Share