Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

The Street Her-Ass-Men Song

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Awesome Virginia high school student Julia Romero wrote a song about street harassment for an English class project this year. She sent it to me and has given me permission to share it with all of you!

She answered a few questions for me about her project and then the lyrics are pasted below that.

Thanks for your great work, Julia, and for using humor and your musical talents to bring more attention to the widespread problem of street harassment!

INTERVIEW:

SSH: What inspired you to write a song about street harassment?

Julia: For starters, I didn’t really know what street harassment was. After researching it, I realized that this topic wasn’t really going to be as well liked as other projects. My school, Central High School, isn’t in my opinion as well educated on this topic of harassment. I wanted to make my project educational but also more appealing to the fellow students. I thought a funny song was the way to do it. I wanted to give my peers more then the typical don’t street harass preaching.

SSH: What kind of responses have you gotten from people who’ve heard your song?

Julia: When I sang my song for the class, it was very interesting. As I was going up to sing people were quiet as if waiting for me. It was funny. I think they were expecting more of a lecturing song. When they realized it was a funny and not a hymn, they opened up and laughed. Afterwards, they began to ask me questions and most didn’t even know of the topic. The boys might have been a bit defensive but all in all, the song was a success.

SSH: What suggestions would you have for people your age who want to do something about street harassment, too?

Julia: I would suggest people my age to become more educated on harassment. Knowledge is something that is lacking. For those who want to do something about it, have courage! Listen to the annoying voice in your head pushing you to do something! Just go for it! Stand up for others and educate as you go. Contact female activists! Asking for help is never a crime.

LYRICS:

The Street Her-Ass-Men Song

Written By: Julia Romero

 

Male Perspective: Verse 1

Hey Baby

Nice Booty

I would tap dat all day long

Good morning sexy

I like your body

Be cat calling you from my car

 

Male Perspective: Pre-Chorus

Cuz you got it going on

And I’m turning oh so on

Girl you make me feel like I’m in control of you

But what you probably don’t know

If you ignore me little ho

Then I’ll dare put my hands on you

Don’t stand a chance against me

 

Chorus

Street Her-Ass-Men are real

You need to be prepared

Know what’s out there

You need to care

No matter if you’re black, tan or white

Whether you’re rich or not quite

You need to care

You need to be aware

 

Female Perspective: Verse 2

He just talked to me said

Girl, you got a nice booty

And I kind of felt flattered

I guess I needed the boost

But then he

Stayed right there

I guess I didn’t really want here

Just shake off the feeling

He will leave

 

Female Perspective: Pre-Chorus

Where’s my daddy where’s my bro

Did he just call me a ho

Boy you make me feel like I’m in danger

I thought just a comment couldn’t hurt

But why do I feel like such dirt

Please just stay away but hey

What are you doing touching my legs

 

Chorus

Street Her-Ass-Men are real

You need to be prepared

Know what’s out there

You need to care

No matter if you’re black, tan or white

Whether you’re rich or not quite

You need to care

You need to be aware

 

Female Perspective: Bridge

You see a comment can lead

To a lot of other things

So if you like random guys

Coming up and treating you to flattery

Wake up to reality

Fight against brutality

Stop future fatality

Of street her-ass-men

 

You need to be aware

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New Study: Sexual harassment on vacation

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A downside to traveling anywhere is the potential to face street harassment and unwanted sexual invitations.

To discover just how prevalent this is, a team of researchers led by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention (Irefrea) surveyed 6,502 British and German people ages 16-35 in different airports across southern Europe (Crete, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain). The people they surveyed had just visited tourist hotspots in these countries in summer 2009 and were returning home.

Via Science World Report:

“The results of the study show that 8.6% of people suffered sexual harassment during their holidays and 1.5% suffered sex against their will. ‘2.4 times as many women as heterosexual men claimed to have suffered from sexual harassment. However, gay and bisexual men showed similar levels to women and high levels of sex against their will,’ the expert notes.”

One of the researchers said. “The first preventive measure is to be aware that these problems exist, since we tend to always think positively about holidays. There are measures that depend on tourist destinations, which are often promoted as places with a high level of sexual permissiveness and advertise cheap alcohol. The venues themselves can also avoid these situations by adopting good management in accordance with already established standards.”

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Cartoon character “Johnny Bravo” learns about street harassment

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In 1997, Cartoon Network premiered the cartoon “Johnny Bravo,” in which an over-the-top stereotype of a macho guy pursues women who usually outsmart him and/or ditch him. I admit, from time to time I watched it with my sister. It was entertaining to see women always get the better of Johnny and to see his woman-chasing ways portrayed as silly.

Jeff Perera at White Ribbon just sent me this clip from an episode in which a fortune-teller turns Johnny into a woman so he can learn what it’s “really like to be woman.” As a woman, Johnny/Jenny faces constant street harassment and he does not like it! After a few men harass her, Johnny/Jenny beats them up, and then we see other women beat up their harassers. Of course, I’m no proponent of violence, but it was kind of satisfying to see all of the cartoon women stand up to their harassers and to see a kids cartoon portray street harassment as annoying and not okay (as opposed to being a compliment). A lot of adults could learn a thing or two from it!

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Poem: “Respect Me”

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My name is Naomi Wilcox, I live & work in Coventry, UK. In 2012 I started the Coventry Feminists group. I am also a member of Coventry Women’s Voices.

Last year we conducted a survey in Coventry, asking women about their experiences of street harassment. In April we published a report ‘An Every Day Occurrence’, which detailed the types of harassment women have experienced, and the way it makes them feel and behave.

I wrote this poem partly in response to the report and the things women told us, but also based on my own personal experiences of street harassment from the age of about 10.

Respect Me

Respect me.
Don’t expect me
to enjoy your stare and your leer
I don’t want to hear
Your words laced with lust
While I wait for the bus
I don’t want to know what you think of my ‘ass’
or my ‘tits’
or any other bits of my body

MY  body.

Not yours to ogle or claim
or call sexy names
Not yours to grope
Not yours to touch
Not yours to assess & publicly judge

Respect me.
Don’t expect me to smile
Because you say so,
Or when you shout ‘fancy a shag’
For me to say ‘ok, let’s go’!

Stop staring
Because you’re scaring me.

“I’m fine thanks”

“Go away”

“Please leave me alone.”

“Let me be.”

Respect me.
Don’t expect me to turn around
There’s 3 of you behind me now
You whistle and whistle again
I’ve got my earphones in, head down
I pretend
I can’t hear you.
“Hey white top!” you try in vain,
that’s not my name
Have you noticed my walking has doubled in pace?
Do you have any idea how this feels,
The three of you hot on my heels,
Keen for the chase?

Respect me.
Don’t expect me to take it as a compliment
That’s not what you meant
when you yelled from your car,
rubbed against me at the bar,
followed me and smacked your lips,
tried to grab my hips,
whistled, whooped & groaned,
waited ‘til I was on my own,
hollered ‘hey baby’, ‘hey honey’, ‘hey cutie’, ‘hey sexy’,
Do you REALLY expect me
to respond to this shit?
to comply when you shout ‘show us your tits!’?
or pucker up when you murmur ‘give us a kiss’?

What is it you want?
‘cos I’ve had enough
of this stuff;
of crossing the road
and clutching my keys
of going the long way round to avoid your sleaze.
I’m sick of the feeling of fear and shame
and of fucking rape culture saying I’M to blame!

RESPECT ME!
don’t expect me to shut up about this
‘Cos we will holler back
and call you out
and tell it how it is.

It is harassment.
It is assault.
It is YOURS, and NEVER my fault.

It is power play.
It is oppression.
It is treating me like I am a possession.

It is threatening.
It is disrespectful.
It is entirely neglectful
of the fact that I am much more than ‘a nice rack’

So step back.
Shut your trap.
Walk away.
Avert your gaze.
Keep your hands to yourself,
Do not touch, or obstruct, or follow or yell,
and go tell
all your mates to stop it as well.

Listen and hear.
This isn’t a request or a plea.
It’s a demand
for you
To Respect me.

 

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