I think it’s pretty sad how street harassment is something I’m used to at this point.
I love going on walks, they’re relaxing, but at the same time, I feel uncomfortable because of the amount of men staring at me every single time. And over half the time I walk around town, in the middle of the day, I experience cat calling, disgusting comments, whistles, and/or people honking at me. But there are some moments that stand out to me.
The first incident was in 7th grade. I was walking home from school, on the main road I always walked on. As I’m walking, a guy who looked around 20 years old turns the corner and is walking quite a distance in front of me. Pretty normal I guess, no need to be worried. But I found it a bit odd that he kept looking back at me, more than most people. Once I was getting kind of close to him, I crossed the street, and he also crossed. I’m pretty sure I crossed the same street 2 or 3 times and yet he still was crossing when I crossed. At this point I’m in front of him by a bit. I was freaked out, but luckily there was a crossing guard near waiting for the bus of another school to arrive. I thought that I would just wait there for a bit with the crossing guard, but even more luckily, my dad happened to be driving by and picked me up. I just think that this is so creepy. I was 12 and being followed by some guy quite a bit older than me. People shouldn’t have to deal with this whatsoever, especially when you’re just a kid.
And a more recent one: I was walking around town in the day. But I got this pink wig that I loved, so I decided to wear it on my walk. I got honked at twice, whistled at once, and was told to smile. That pissed me off. I just wanted to go on a walk feeling confident. And I wasn’t even wearing anything revealing. I was completely covered, it being the middle of winter. And when I was a few blocks away from my house, on a not so busy road, a guy stopped his vehicle. He was probably around 30 and asked me if I wanted a ride. That was f*cking terrifying to me. I replied with a no thanks. He asked me if I was sure and how far I needed to go. I told him not too far and that I was positive. He said okay then and drove off. I was 16 at the time, and a stranger approached me asking if I wanted to get in his car. I was scared and glad that he didn’t try to pressure me anymore. I bet you that if I was a guy, he wouldn’t have even stopped.
Street harassment is scary and is my biggest fear when leaving the house. By the way, I live in a town that doesn’t even have 20,000 people.
– Anonymous
Location: Town
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.
