UPDATE: I posted this before I had a chance to watch it. After watching it and reading comments about it, two things come to mind:
1- I agree with some people who are saying that not everything depicted looked like harassment, but I think the point was to show the accumulation of how often men were speaking to her on the street, unsolicited, in a single day. I doubt they were all saying good morning and bless you to men walking by so in that sense, they are still treating her like public property that they can interrupt at any time.
2 – I am disappointed that the clip reinforces the stereotype that street harassment is men of color harassing white women when men of all races harass and women of all races are harassed… And some women harass and some men are harassed!! What would be more useful is a video that follows five different people of different backgrounds/identities in different parts of the country for a day to show the different types of harassment they each experience.
But that said, this video is getting a lot of views and attention and that is something this issue needs!
“God bless you, mami,”
“Hey baby.”
“DAMN.”
“You don’t wanna talk?”
Street harassment disproportionately impacts women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and young people, the group says on its website: “Although the degree to which Shoshana gets harassed is shocking, the reality is that the harassment that people of color and LGBTQ individuals face is oftentimes more severe and more likely to escalate into violence.”
Inspired by the experiences of his girlfriend, shooter Rob Bliss reached out to Hollaback! to partner on a PSA highlighting the impact of street harassment. For 10 hours, he walked with a camera in his backpack in front of volunteer Shoshana B. Roberts, who walked silently with two microphones in her hands.
The impact? You’ll have to see it for yourself.”
