Wir haben uns so an sexuelle Übergriffe jeglicher Art im Alltag gewöhnt, dass wir manchmal vergessen, uns dagegen zu wehre “We have become so accustomed to sexual assault of any kind in everyday life that we sometimes forget to defend ourselves against it.” This comes from German blogger Maike Hank who was quoted in a [...]
Tag Archives: street harassment
40 (Un)Justifiable Reasons To Sexually Harass Me On the Street
I’m wearing too much makeup I’m not wearing enough makeup It’s Sunday It’s Tuesday I’m walking too quickly I’m walking too slowly I’m too pretty to not let you enjoy a piece of it I’m not pretty enough to occupy the space marked “female” I’m wearing boots I’m wearing flip flops I haven’t let you [...]
To India: A Letter Back From Washington, DC
When I was a girl, I had a pen pal in New Delhi. I hadn’t thought about her in years, until today when I read A Letter from New Delhi in The Washington Post. The author poignantly describes how a young female college student in New Delhi, Avantika Shukla, must carefully consider every moment of [...]
We Are #Shoutingback Against Street Harassment
@Stephanie_Fiems Running local park while a guy followed me in his truck parking every few exits masturbating as I passed #ShoutingBack“ @VintageRoseJaz walked home when I was 14.Man said “hello pretty lady” ignored him and he replied with “Well fuck you then” #ShoutingBack @unfortunatalie On New Year’s Eve a man with a knife made me [...]
“Badly Covered” Woman Sends Cleric to Hospital for Harassing Her
I write all the time about how the everyday harassment of women on streets around the world is gendered regulation of public space. How the threat of real violence perpetuates male dominance. On one end of the spectrum harassment is superficially benign and women can feel flattered by strangers’ attention. I say superficially because a) [...]
When Standing Up to Sexual Harassment Makes You a B*tch
I recently enjoyed my lunch break by picking up books at MLK Library, located in Gallery Place/Chinatown in Northwest DC. A few steps after I left MLK to return to work, an older man walked briskly toward me on the sidewalk, pointing his finger as he approached. “You’re sexy,” he said, continuing to point at me as he passed.
“Stop harassing women,” I said. I didn’t turn around to see his reaction. A young man waking beside me chuckled. I wasn’t laughing. In my work clothes with my books, I immediately felt embarrassed and objectified by what he said.
The Melissa A. Fabello Guide to Hollering Back — Effectively
I remember it distinctly, the first time I recognized street harassment as a legitimate problem. Having grown up in a not-so-great-but-not-that-bad neighborhood in my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, my coming of age was riddled with leers and lewd comments from the men in my city. But this experience had nothing to do with where I [...]
What Not to Wear
Recently, New York police officers in Park Slope, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, have been calling out women wearing short skirts and shorts, warning the women that they are an easy target for sexual predators. So when did it become police business to decide the dress code of New York City women? When did victim-blaming become [...]