This is part of the series “Street Respect. “Street respect” is the term for respectful, polite, and consensual interactions that happen between strangers in public spaces. It’s the opposite of “street harassment.” Share your street respect story and show the kind of interactions you’d like to have in public in place of street harassment.
I was walking down the road and walked past a garage. As I went past, one of the men smiled at me and said, “Good morning.” Obviously I smiled back and also greeted him. He then said, “You look beautiful today.”
I smiled, said thank you, and walked on. End of the interaction, and I had a great smile on my face for the rest of the walk!
– Anonymous
Location: Brixton, London, UK
Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.
[Editor’s note: While this blog contributor felt respected by this interaction and that is great, many women would not because it entailed an unsolicited evaluation of her appearance by a stranger and that is something men generally don’t have to deal with. Since not everyone would feel respected by this interaction, if you’re unsure how to interact with someone on the street, I suggest making a gender-neutral comment. If you want to pay someone a compliment about how they look, to be safe, say it to someone you know or say it after you’ve been talking to someone for a few minutes.]
