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“Nice legs. What time do they open?”

August 18, 2011 By Contributor

Okay, so recently I haven’t experienced any harassment (what a change) but one thing that I have noticed is what is done to encourage harassment. This one thing really shocked me and I am disgusted that these items can be sold to the public.

Men’s T shirts.

I was on a shopping trip with my female friend and she was looking for something for her boyfriend’s birthday. We took a look in a men’s clothes shop. While we were trawling through the T shirts, I spotted a few which really caught my eye. I stared in disbelief as I read on one T shirt ‘I love SLAGS (because they are no angels) another one – “Nice legs. What time do they open?” With a picture of a female silhouette.

I was stunned when I saw these. How can they sell these things? And these tops were not just for men, but were catered for teenagers as well! What kind of example are these messages sending out? That it’s okay to be crude to women? That women are simply sexual objects to leer at? That all women are ‘slags’? Is it no wonder men think it’s acceptable to harass women when they can go out with it on their T shirts?

I just couldn’t believe what I saw. Those T shirts should not be sold. They give a bad influence and it wouldn’t say very much about the person’s character if they chose to wear it!

– Clarice

Location: Bridgend, UK

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Harasser waves bus on so he can keep harassing a woman at the stop

August 16, 2011 By HKearl

I recently experienced my worst level of street harrassment yet. I was sitting at a bus stop waiting for a bus that I seriously needed to catch; and this big, macho guy starts hitting on me from across the street and then comes over and keeps hitting on me even more.

Then, when the bus starts arriving (and I’m thinking “Thank God–I’m safe now!”) he says he doesn’t want me to catch this bus because he wants me to spend more time with him; and even though I get up to hail the bus and the bus stops slowing down when it sees me; this jerk who’s been verbally harrassing me actually WAVES the BUS BY! Worst of all, the bus driver pays attention to him and not to me, clearly assuming that this man has the right to speak for me. I run after the bus screaming for it, but it just keeps right on going. I keep on going too, just to get away from that jerk–I am not going to go back and endure more sexual harrassment while waiting for another bus. I hope he realizes that his sexual advances are backfiring, but perhaps he just wants to take pleasure in making vulnerable women’s lives painful.

I see a cop car shortly afterward and thought about reporting the behavior; but even if the cop were willing to do something about it, I am a tiny woman and I have to walk these unsafe streets everywhere I go, because I don’t own a car right now; and so I can’t afford to get on the bad side of the macho men who rule them.

-Anonymous

Location: Washington, D.C.

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
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Street Harassment Snapshot: August 14, 2011

August 14, 2011 By HKearl

Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week and find relevant announcements and upcoming street harassment events.

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

Hollaback Buenos Aires

Hollaback West Yorkshire

Street Harassment in the News, on the Blogs:

* Washington Post, “D.C.’s fight against street harassment“

* Washington Post, “Live Q&A: Holla Back DC! How to fight street harassment“

* NBC New York, “Police Nab Suspect in Manhattan Groping Attacks“

* Capital FM News, “Somali women raped en route to Kenya“

* The Jewish Daily Forward, “Ending Street Harassment“

* The Express Tribune, “Sexual harassment: Cops beat up Auqaf man for trying to defend devotees“

An American Girl in Italy — Via The Globe and Mail

* The Globe and Mail, “A snapshot of sexism or a portrait of composure?“

* The Times of India, “Driving two-wheelers becoming risky for girls“

* The News Today, “Uplift of nation not possible without women development“

* Feministing Community, “It’s called WOLF whistling for a reason“

* Feminist Peace Network, “Taking Back The Streets–Why Slutwalks Are A Form of Feminism“

* Time Out Chicago, “Hollaback Against Harassment“

* RVAnews, “Ain’t no hollaback girl!“

* Shelly Says So, “I guess we are all walking targets“

* The World of Cherie, “The Freedom to Walk Down the Street”

* Get Into It… “Street Harassment“

* The Wellingtonista, “Cos we ain’t not no hollaback girls“

* Hebden Bridge Web, “Local Women take action against street harassment“

* UK Express, “Groping from men? Women should just deal wi th it says Jeremy Irons“

Announcements:

New:

* 13 new Hollaback sites launched this week

* This Wednesday, if you’re in NYC, you can attend a street harassment summit with four local anti-street harassment organizations, details.

Reminders/On-Going:

* Do you have a stare that can turn #streetharassers to stone? Then participate in the Medusa Gaze Project! http://tinyurl.com/6fhh3tz

* Sign Mend the Gap’s petition to address subway harassment in Delhi, India

* Are you in Egypt? Use HarassMap to report your street harassers

* Have an iPhone? Download the Hollaback iPhone app that lets you report street harassers

10Tweets from the Week:

1. KStamoulisPhD @hkearl A 50 y/o man, sitting with his pals, ogled a student on campus. I said “that’s harassment and it hurts women.” He said “oh, sorry”

2. clarentina Strangest/most offensive from-car street harassment: ‘don’t get raped!’ men can be twats, really.

3. talkingparcel #streetharassment being in a different language doesn’t make it any less vulgar or irritating, transit van man #prick #sunnydayinlondon

4. HollabackOttawa We’ve been getting an overwhelming # of #streetharassment stories related to public transit. Do you feel like OC Transpo takes it seriously?

5. FeistyFeminist1 Going to work, carrying bags full of food for a potluck, & running late. “You’re sexy” is rly not what I want to hear. #streetharassment

6. PamelaScully South African Women’s Day: I wish the end to all street harassment. It infringes on women’s human rights every single day. #fem2

7. ArriannaMarie Street harassment narrows women’s public sphere rather severely. The gauntlet reinforces our “need” for protective patriarchy

8. thetrudz I’m going to ignore the man who called street harassment a “sacrifice” to endure if “attractive.” Plz get hit by a bus as soon as possible.

9. FeministGriote more pro-feminist men would lessen street harassment, lessen DV, and maybe even the gender wage gap.

10. suitablegirl Spent four hours on street covering harassment for 88.5fm. Came home, got harassed AND threatened. Police. Ugly. All I had wanted was sleep.

Street Harassment Snapshot: August 7, 2011

August 7, 2011 By HKearl

Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week and find relevant announcements and upcoming street harassment events.

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

Hollaback Buenos Aires

Street Harassment in the News, on the Blogs:

"Eve teasing" in India — Via Deccan Herald

* Deccan Herald, “No safety for women anywhere…“

* Venus Genus, “‘I didn’t want to give a strange man…my phone number and got slapped for my troubles“

* Feministe, “The Politics of ‘Hello‘”

* Daily Bhaskar, “Youth murdered for objecting to eve-teasing of sister“

* Care2, “Should Seoul’s Subway Have Women-Only Sections?”

* Gothamist, “Upper East Side Serial Groper Strikes Again!“

* XO Jane, “True Tales of Street Harassment (And My Anger Issues)“

* Cluth Magazine, “Ladies Beware: Flasher Website Targets Black & Asian Women“

* The Times of India, “CISF leads drive to check eve-teasing in Delhi Metro“

* My High School Journalism, “Harassed on the Subway? Say Something!“

* SexGenderBody, “Growing into Street Harassment“

* IBN Live, “CISF undertakes anti-eve-teasing drive in metro stations“

Announcements:

New:

* Next Sunday, August 14, the Washington Post is publishing a major piece on street harassment in the magazine!

Reminders/On-Going:

* Do you have a stare that can turn #streetharassers to stone? Then participate in the Medusa Gaze Project! http://tinyurl.com/6fhh3tz

* Sign Mend the Gap’s petition to address subway harassment in Delhi, India

* Are you in Egypt? Use HarassMap to report your street harassers

* Have an iPhone? Download the Hollaback iPhone app that lets you report street harassers

20 Tweets from the Week:

1. butilovememore it’s not a compliment. its harassment. #streetharassment

2. ruthie_dee Reading tweets about #streetharassment… I’m SO angry that this happens to so many women and girls. Our bodies are not your property!

3. jennpozner Started w/me@ 12, too! MT @thehotnerd #StreetHarassment must stop, esp 2kids. Like pedophiles. Didn’t need 2know how nice my boobs were@ 12

4. Karnythia I see a lot of guys who are struggling with hearing about this, but #streetharassment is coming from men that you know too.

5. lashonp I’m thankful guys don’t grab my arm anymore. I’ve cut mofos w/words & wanted 2 do more yrs ago. #streetharassment is real & dangerous

6. resistasista #arentyoutiredof sexual harassment in the workplace and on the street #feminism

7. originalMiss_R Wlking thru southend hi street wiv shorts on equals HARASSMENT rite now

8. NajmMyriam Dear soldier standing on the sidewalk, just keep your mouth shut when i pass by! Sincerely, tired of street harassment. #fb

9. Bell_Bajao RT @womensweb: #whatareyoulookingat street sexual harassment needs no reason cept that a woman is around. presence = reason. cc @Bell_Bajao

10. ArriannaMarie Leaving the house, at one time, was a point of great anxiety b/c I hated to be subjected to the gauntlet of street harassment.

11. jAD0ReQUi @dreamhampton guys don’t understand how scary that is & the extra constant precautions we have to take as women because men don’t accept no

12. LilEsBella When you can’t walk down the street because some man old enough to be your grandfather is trying to touch you there’s a prob @dreamhampton

13. dreamhampton I was 5, in a bathing suit at a beach, when a grown ass man interrupted me from sandcastle building to tell me ‘damn! I wanna meet yr Mama!’

14. ttaraturk @dreamhampton I stopped riding the Detroit buss because some OLD dude exposed himself . I was traumatized. My parents couldn’t explain it.

15. dreamhampton As a mother of a teenager blk girl Id like to say: blk girl gets harrassed by adult blk men a trillion xs more often than blk boy do by pigs

16. Cx87 Why do some men think hollering at a woman is acceptable? How would they feel if it was their wife/daughter/mother? #streetharassment

17. thehotnerd #StreetHarassment needs to stop, especially toward children. No better than pedophiles. Didn’t need to know how nice my boobs were at 12.

18. PoshBirdGabi Did you know #streetharassment is not allowed in Libya? #hollaback @iHollaback #nwo

19. asrichardson I wish I could rt @dreamhampton‘s entire timeline. I’m enraged by the harassment women face but empowered by the sharing of our experiences

20. Crislex @dreamhampton I agree with you. Black women on a DAILY BASIS are dehumanized and degraded in broad daylight by their own counterparts. sick

“The point is I want them to stop”

August 6, 2011 By Contributor

I have always been able to walk my dog and feel safe, comfortable. I have even walked my dog at 10 pm. at times. But lately I have received cat calls from guys when I’m walking down the street. Cars Honk and whistle. I used to think nothing of it.

Then came the weird questions when the guys are driving. They ask stupid questions such as “you wanna fuck” and “how much do you charge.” At that time I just got nervous whenever it happened,

But lately guys have been coming up and started having conversations with me. I don’t know them but they come up and ask me questions I usually just ignore them, but then there like “don’t be like that, I’m just trying to get to know you” that’s when i usually speed walk out of there.

I don’t know why they talk to me. I’m not wearing anything hoochie I just wear t-shirts and sweats. I tried wearing jeans and t-shirt but they come even more, so eventually i went back to my old clothes. My family even says i dress like a hobo.I tried wearing jeans and t-shirt but they come even more, so eventually i went back to my old clothes.

The point is I want them to stop.

– Anonymous

Location: Chicago, IL

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.

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