Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

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“I don’t like you, I like her”

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So I take the train every morning to school and I noticed this guy had his phone pointed at me, and I assumed he took a picture of me since he kept looking at me and I saw he went on his picture gallery on his phone. When he noticed me looking at what he was doing on his phone, he put his phone in his pocket. The next day, he was at my train stop again, and I always take the train at a specific time, and I guess he does too or I’m not sure if he is stalking me now. Ever since, I see him everyday and I told my friends and he still keeps looking at me and my friend confronted him and she said in Spanish (he was Hispanic),

“What are you looking at?” (Que midas) He replied, “I don’t like you, I like her” (No me gusta tu, me gusta aya).

Excuse my Spanish but that’s what happened and now I’m permanently traumatized. Every time I see him he points his phone at me now and one time I saw an Asian wearing only under wear on his home screen. He is disgusting and a pedophile but I don’t have evidence to report him??? I even switched my ways getting to school, but the train is easiest and fastest for me to get to school. If he ever goes beyond this, I will call authorities and I even said that to him.

HE EVEN SITS NEXT TO ME ON THE TRAIN AND HE WHISPERED SOMETHING TO ME BUT I CANT SPEAK FLUENT SPANISH! So creepy!

– Anonymous

Location: Los Angeles, CA

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“The harassment hasn’t stopped, what’s different is that I don’t let it stop me.”

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Editor’s Note: Lorna Ciani lives in Rome and studies Illustration. She is the person behind the new Tumblr Princess Walnut and she kindly agreed to tell SSH’s readers about her project and what inspired it!

SSH: How has street harassment touched your life?

LC: I have been experiencing street harassment since I was 14 and the only thing that’s changed over the years is my reaction to it. As a teenager I was extremely intimidated and ashamed by it.

As a 20-year-old I felt oppressed, which resulted in a persistent sense of powerlessness. It made me very uncomfortable to be honked at by drivers or commented on when I went jogging or walking alone, for instance, so what did I do? I stayed home. Catcalls and unwanted sexual attention undermined my sense of self-worth and made me feel vulnerable and self-conscious, not to mention humiliated.

Now, at 22, harassment makes me combative and even more determined to reclaim my right to walk down the street with dignity. It’s only been a few months since I started working on what I’ve now dubbed the “Walnut Project” and examining the experiences of women worldwide through websites like Hollaback! and StopStreetHarassment.org, but this short time has been enough to make me want to stand up and fight back. I go jogging now. I go out whenever and wherever I want.

The harassment hasn’t stopped, what’s different is that I don’t let it stop me.

SSH: Good for you! What inspired your illustrations and project?

LC: The first inspiration for Princess Walnut came to me last autumn after talking to a male acquaintance who seemed genuinely shocked to discover that no, I and women everywhere do not appreciate being yelled, whistled, leered or stared at, commented on or solicited in the middle of the street, just as we don’t appreciate being followed, groped, stalked or assaulted. It seemed obvious to me, but there was this man assuring me wide-eyed that he’d never stopped to think how women might feel about it, and that he wouldn’t stand for it anymore now that he knew how upsetting it is.

That’s when I realized how much harm can come from ignorance: bystanders aren’t necessarily indifferent, they may not know exactly what it is they’re witnessing. They subscribe to the tired old belief that street harassment is just a guy’s way of paying women a compliment, that is if they even stop to consider the matter at all.

I felt a sudden, unstoppable need to do something: to create something that would draw attention to the topic of harassment, introduce and educate about it in a lighthearted way, and to which those who already know very well what harassment is and what effects it has could relate and be reminded that we’re all in it together, we all go through the same kind of thing over and over again and all of us are tired of it.

I communicate more effectively through images, not words, so there wasn’t much question about my project taking the form of a picture book; coincidentally, I was expected to produce one for my Project Management class and I had intended it to be a modern feminist fairy tale in any case. The trouble was that a picture book discussing a distressing, unpleasant, triggering topic like street harassment ran the risk of being a distressing, unpleasant and triggering read.

What’s more, I wasn’t sure I felt like drawing a cartoonified bunch of perverts. It sounds like an extreme reaction, I know, but the idea really put me off. I get my fair share of them on the street and I don’t want to have to think about them any more than I have to, never mind picture them in detail in my mind and breathe life into them on paper.

So I came up with the idea of allegorically substituting them with archetypal fairy tale bad guys, dragons. Not just one big bad evil dragon hiding in its lair, but lots of them walking the streets and mingling with everyone else. Traditionally a dragon’s bane is a knight, but of course I wasn’t about to let my princess mooch in a tower waiting for someone else to save the kingdom.

I wanted to tell an empowering story, make it entertaining, and use it to ridicule age-old roles and clichès. Even disregarding her fondness for slobbing around in front of the TV in her pyjamas on Sundays, Walnut remains an unlikely candidate for a fairy tale princess simply by not being defined at all by her looks, but solely by her aim: to stamp out street harassment. As many funny comebacks as she might make (almost all of them, as well as the dragons’ sleazy commentary, are episodes drawn from real life experiences shared on the Hollaback website. I have to say, there are some very witty people out there), I feel there is really only one way to overcome street harassment once and for all and this involves all of us, that’s what this book is all about. Standing together, fighting together, making a change together.

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USA: Let Me Do My Job!

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By Lauren Duhon, SSH Correspondent

Recently, I read a blog post about a journalist who has experienced consistent harassment online through social media and e-mails after she broke the news about Jerry Sandusky at Penn State. The writer of the blog states that women who write about unpopular subjects are often subjected to threats, sexual taunts or harassment. From my experience, it doesn’t even have to be about a subject that is considered to be unpopular or controversial. As a photographer and a writer, men have constantly harassed me on the job.

Several times on interviews, sources have found it necessary to call me names that leave me feeling uncomfortable or comment on my physical appearance, such as noting a feature on my blouse that just happens to be near my breasts. Particularly, it creeps me out when a male source will touch my leg as a means of literally grabbing my attention. When I’m out taking photos, I’m usually confronted with men asking me for a private photo session or I hear them yelling “Hey, pretty photographer lady, that’s an awfully big camera you have!” Thanks for letting me know, stranger. I obviously did not realize I have a huge camera in my possession. Way to be creepy!  I’ve heard everything from sweetheart to dollface or received comments asking me “What’s a pretty girl like you doing at a place like this?” I’m capable of doing my job just like anyone else, regardless of the situation. The comments and scenarios vary, but it is always unwarranted.

However, when the subject matter has been more controversial or unpopular, I have found that sources tend to take me less seriously. Maybe because I am a student? Who knows? My thought is that they usually humor me because I’m a young woman. The second I ask questions, I don’t matter and they dismiss my existence.

It isn’t always like this, but being a woman often impacts my ability to do my job. According to the 2012 Byline Survey Report, more than 60 percent of newspaper employees are men. Having to earn respect in a field dominated by men is enough of a challenge, let alone having to defend myself when I am confronted with awkward situations and harassment. I fortunately haven’t had to deal with harassment in the work place, but I have read stories from female journalists about co-workers or editors who have invaded their privacy on a daily basis.

I also came across a tumblr page called Said to Lady Journos that compiles comments about female journalists who have experienced harassment on the job. One woman was asked whether or not she was studying to earn her master’s degree. When she said no, the man replied with,”you’re the perfect example of why there aren’t any women on the board,” when referring to a university’s board of regents. Another example is a comment from a contractor to a female journalist at a US military base in Iraq. He tells the reporter that, “if you got shrapnel in your ass, I’d be happy to take it out.” Out of line, obviously. One of the worst ones I read was about an Indian female reporter that was told by a café owner that she was a “cute little thing,” but she should be “running a 7-Eleven or something” instead.

The point is that I want to be able to go out on an assignment and take photos or write an article without unnecessary comments. To quote Joel Mathis, the writer of the previously mentioned blog post, “Women journalists shouldn’t have to be afraid to do their jobs because they’re women.” There is a level of respect that needs to exist, and this goes for any profession. Just because I’m a young woman and you see me out in public with a notepad or a camera does not mean you can approach me and say or do whatever you want. I have several colleagues of mine who often complain about similar situations.  Treat us as professionals, because everyone deserves it.

Lauren Duhon is a student journalist from LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

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Colombia: What would you do to stop street harassment?

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By: María Paulina López, SSH Correspondent

One day, my sister came home saying she was upset that every time she walked from the bus stop to home a man watching her on the other side of the street yelled sexual comments. Imagine having to deal with this every single day! In my own experience, these abusive situations piss me off.

I decided to do something about it, but the problem was, that guy knows where we live and that scared me a little. So my sister’s boyfriend went and talked to him, asking for respect and safety for the women who walk on that street (he didn’t mention specifically my sister, so I suppose she wasn’t the only one) and that was it… he never did that again anymore. What would you do if someone’s being sexually harassed in a public place?


This video is an exact representation of a situation that a lot of people have to live every day: being sexually harassed on the streets.

What would you do? And that’s a question for all of you…what would you do if see someone being harassed on the street? I truly admire all those who did something, not knowing the people on that street were actors. I admire those around the world who care about these abusive situations.  It depends on the situation, and how safe you feel in that place, but you can take a lot of actions to stop Street Harassment:

* Show support, like the woman on the video;
* Call security, if you can;
* Make a video/photo to show the authorities;
* Ask them to stop it and to respect, like one of the guys on the video;
* See if you can identify the persons who are harassing and denounce the abusive behavior to their superiors; ask the person who’s been harassed if it’s fine and take her/him to a safer place.

Please, let’s don’t stay quiet or continue your walk without doing anything. This behavior is abusive, and affects millions of people around the world, especially women. We need safer public spaces for everyone! And this video is evidence that we can take individual actions to fight it directly, to make justice, and stand for a better world.

“The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, its indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, its indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, its indifference.” – Elie Wiesel

Maria is a psychology student, social investigator, and sexual educator. Follow her on Twitter, @MPaulinaLopez.

 

Colombia, pequeñas acciones que significan un gran cambio.

Un día mi hermana llegó a casa quejándose de lo cansada que estaba de que cada día, cuando caminaba de la parada de autobús a casa, el vigilante de la acera de enfrente le gritaba comentarios sexuales, ¡imaginen tener que lidiar con esto cada día de sus vidas! Entonces decidí hacer algo al respecto, el problema era que ese hombre sabía exactamente dónde vivíamos, y eso me asustaba un poco. Por eso, el novio de mi hermana fue y habló con él; le pidió que respetara a las mujeres que pasaban por el frente (no mencionó directamente a mi hermana, entonces supongo que no era la única). Y eso fue todo, a partir de ese momento, él nunca le volvió a decir nada a mi hermana cada vez que pasaba por allí. ¿Qué harías si ver que alguien está siendo acosado sexualmente en un lugar público?

Este video es una representación exacta de una situación que mucha gente tiene que vivir cada día: ser acosados sexualmente en las calles. ¿Qué harías tú? Y esta es una pregunta para todos… ¿qué haría usted si ve que alguien es acosado sexualmente en un espacio público? Realmente admiro a todos los que hicieron algo en ese video, y a todos aquellos alrededor del mundo que cada día se preocupan por detener estos abusos. Todo depende de la situación, y de cuán seguro se sienta en el lugar donde está ocurriendo el abuso, pero todos podemos tomar muchas acciones para detener el Acoso Callejero:

  • * Da apoyo a la persona, como la mujer del video.
  • * Llama a seguridad, si puedes.
  • * Haz una foto o video para mostrarle a las autoridades.
  • * Pídeles que se detengan y exija respeto,  como uno de los hombres en el video.
  • * Trata de identificar a las personas que están acosando y denuncia su actitud abusiva a sus superiores; asegúrate que la persona que es víctima esté bien y llévala a un lugar más seguro.

No hay que quedarse callados, o pasar de largo ante una situación así. Este comportamiento es abusivo y afecta a millones de personas diariamente en el mundo entero, sobre todo mujeres. ¡Necesitamos espacios públicos seguros, donde podamos caminar con tranquilidad! Y este video es prueba de que podemos tomar acciones individuales para luchar contra estos abusos directamente, hacer justicia, luchar por un mundo mejor.

“Lo contrario del amor no es el odio, es la indiferencia. Lo contrario del arte, no es la fealdad, es la indiferencia. Lo contrario de la fe no es la herejía, es la indiferencia. Y lo contrario de la vida no es la muerte, es la indiferencia.” – Elie Wiesel

Estudiante de psicología, investigadora social, educadora sexual MPaulinaLopez.

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Secretly, We DON’T Like It

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This is the image Daily Mail chose to include with the article…

Oh geez.

XLS-Medical Fat Binder conducted a study with an unknown quantity of dieters whom they found through an unknown way and they concluded that:

“More than half would like to be on the receiving end of a wolf whistle and 28% regard this as one of the biggest motivators to weight loss.”

Overall, the study found that people are more motivated to stick to their diet if they themselves notice their weight loss and if other people notice it too and pay them a compliment.

I’m all for being healthier and for genuine, appropriate and wanted compliments, and I get how positive feedback can help someone stay motivated as they work to achieve a difficult goal.

But I’m NOT for encouraging men to vocally sexually objectify women on the streets and I’m very against the Daily Mail writing this in an article about the study:

“We may tut and scowl and whisper obscenities under our breath when men wolf-whistle in our direction – but secretly we love it.”

No, “we” don’t. The vast majority of us are annoyed, angered, and upset by it, especially if we’re lesbians, rape survivors, or people who are harassed on a regular basis. Don’t perpetuate tired old lies! And don’t contribute to rape culture.

Street harassment, including “wolf whistling,” is disrespectful and objectifying and it contributes to the prevalence of gender violence. One in three women will be raped, beaten or abused in her lifetime worldwide!! Companies and people should be putting their energy toward fixing that, not on dieting. (Riots not diets)

But since this questionable study is out there and is getting covered in the news, I feel I should delve into the issue further.

I, too, found some women (but not 50 percent!!) who liked being whistled at when I conducted a study in 2008 as part of my book research.

I surveyed more than 800 women from 23 countries about street harassment, and about 25 percent said they liked being whistled at, too. What’s telling though is that almost no woman liked being commented on, touched, followed, or masturbated/flashed at, yet too often a “wolf whistle” escalates into one of those behaviors.

I thin it’s important to look at why this many women say they want to be whistled at or like it (and I cover these reasons more in chapter five of my book).

1. Severity and Frequency: When I filtered out the experiences of those women who said they liked being whistled at, I found that, compared to women who did not like it, they were rarely harassed and few of them had experienced extreme forms of harassment like stalking or groping. So yes, perhaps if the worst behavior a woman has experienced is whistling from men and she only experiences it once in a while, she may not mind it. But for most women, that isn’t the case.

Of the women I surveyed, over 80 percent were the target of a sexually explicit comment, 75 percent were followed, and over 50 percent were groped/sexually touched. Most women experienced street harassment on at least a weekly basis.

2. Context Matters: Nearly all women who took my survey said they didn’t like street harassment – including wolf whistling – if there were multiple men harassing one of her, if it was dark out or if she was in an unfamiliar area, or if the man was much older or much younger than her.

If the dieting survey asked if a woman would like to be whistled at by a group of men while she walked alone on a street unfamiliar to her after dark, I’m sure fewer women would have said they want that to happen.

3. Traditional Viewpoints: When Carol Brooks Gardner researched street harassment in Indiana, she found that the small percent of women in her study who liked mild forms of harassment, including whistling, were also more likely to be apolitical and traditional, believing things like men should be the breadwinners and women the homemakers, harassment was a legitimate way for men to vocalize their appreciation of women, and men should initiate relationships.

4. Engrained Sexualization: Perhaps the strongest reason why some women say they like being whistled at or wish men did whistle at them is the engrained sexualization of girls and women. The results of the 2007 report by the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls found that overwhelmingly, girls are sexualized frequently in the media, by parents and other adults, by friends, and even by themselves.

Nearly everything girls and women are encouraged to do for self-improvement is geared toward gaining the attention of men (look at any woman’s magazine to see how true that is). Since street harassment is male attention, women who have internalized the idea that their worth lies in how much attention they get from men may like the mild forms. In the dieting study in particular, it’s likely that many of the respondents were losing weight to try to be more attractive to men so getting any kind of attention from them would feel like an achievement.

Conclusion: I write a lot about what men can do to change their attitudes about street harassment, but this a reminder that many women need to make attitude adjustments, too. Women are intelligent, thoughtful, creative, athletic, powerful, empathetic people. We do not need to be validated by men on the streets who whistle at us like we’re dogs (no offense to dogs, I love them!).

Instead of receiving a self-esteem boost from some guy on the street who knows how to whistle and feels self-important enough to publicly evaluate a woman’s looks, I hope women can find self-esteem boosts from being good friends or family members, getting a good grade or feedback on a work project, helping out in their community, advocating for an issue, looking out for those in need, and learning something new.

(Thank you to reader Jenn for bringing this story to my attention)

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