By Megan Cathey, Staff Writer, Emerson College
The first time a stranger catcalled me I thought I should take it as a compliment. From a young age I had been taught that when someone says something nice to you, you smile and say “thank you.” So when a man in New York City told me that I was a “beautiful girl,” I murmured “thanks,” despite the fact that he was middle-aged, and I was only fourteen.
As I grew older, the comments became increasingly more sexual. I vividly remember an incident once where a man was driving alongside me and said, “yeah baby I could fit,” as he sized up my body. Before I could even process his comment, he drove away, leaving me confused and embarrassed. Now, at the age of nineteen, I have learned to expect unwarranted comments in public places. After living in Boston for about a month, I have already experienced three instances of harassment, one involving a man actually wrapping his arm around me. Not only did I feel uncomfortable, I felt threatened.
It would be easy to brush off these instances as just another aspect of living in a big city; however, it’s important to realize that street harassment can occur in any public place. The truth of the matter is that street harassment is just another facet of our society’s rape culture, a social structure that accepts and asserts dominance and violence over mostly women and the LGBTQ+ community. By accepting the fact that we can’t go outside without people making advances towards women or members of the LBGTQ+ community, we only perpetuate this rape culture.
Despite the fact that the majority of street harassment involving involves sexually charged comments or actions, street harassment is not inherently about sex. Rather, it ties back to our society’s patriarchal power dynamic - street harassment is left to make the victim feel vulnerable by the use of degrading remarks or gestures. Sex serves a vehicle to demonstrate a harasser’s power over the victim. Most of the victims of street harassment are marginalized groups: women, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and disabled people.
Eliminating street harassment may seem like a challenge, but steps are being made to help victims reclaim their safety in public spaces. The organization Hollaback! uses social networking to provide a place where victims can share their stories by documenting the incident including the location and a description of the harasser. By sharing their stories, people can expose their harassers and therefore empower themselves. Addressing a harasser in the moment can be scary and potentially dangerous. Hollaback! gives people a space to speak out against street harassment, and reclaim their right to safety and peace of mind in public areas.
The first time a stranger catcalled me I thought I should take it as a compliment. From a young age I had been taught that when someone says something nice to you, you smile and say “thank you.” So when a man in New York City told me that I was a “beautiful girl,” I murmured “thanks,” despite the fact that he was middle-aged, and I was only fourteen.
As I grew older, the comments became increasingly more sexual. I vividly remember an incident once where a man was driving alongside me and said, “yeah baby I could fit,” as he sized up my body. Before I could even process his comment, he drove away, leaving me confused and embarrassed. Now, at the age of nineteen, I have learned to expect unwarranted comments in public places. After living in Boston for about a month, I have already experienced three instances of harassment, one involving a man actually wrapping his arm around me. Not only did I feel uncomfortable, I felt threatened.
It would be easy to brush off these instances as just another aspect of living in a big city; however, it’s important to realize that street harassment can occur in any public place. The truth of the matter is that street harassment is just another facet of our society’s rape culture, a social structure that accepts and asserts dominance and violence over mostly women and the LGBTQ+ community. By accepting the fact that we can’t go outside without people making advances towards women or members of the LBGTQ+ community, we only perpetuate this rape culture.
Despite the fact that the majority of street harassment involving involves sexually charged comments or actions, street harassment is not inherently about sex. Rather, it ties back to our society’s patriarchal power dynamic - street harassment is left to make the victim feel vulnerable by the use of degrading remarks or gestures. Sex serves a vehicle to demonstrate a harasser’s power over the victim. Most of the victims of street harassment are marginalized groups: women, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and disabled people.
Eliminating street harassment may seem like a challenge, but steps are being made to help victims reclaim their safety in public spaces. The organization Hollaback! uses social networking to provide a place where victims can share their stories by documenting the incident including the location and a description of the harasser. By sharing their stories, people can expose their harassers and therefore empower themselves. Addressing a harasser in the moment can be scary and potentially dangerous. Hollaback! gives people a space to speak out against street harassment, and reclaim their right to safety and peace of mind in public areas.
Another crucial ingredient to ending street harassment is bystander intervention. Speaking from personal experience, nothing is worse than being harassed in a crowded area and having no one around intervene. If bystanders aren’t comfortable addressing the harasser personally, talking to the person being harassed can help soften the blow, or calling 911 is always an option if the harasser appears to be dangerous.
Everyone has the right to walk in public places with the fear of being harassed. For more information on how you can help end street harassment, visit: http://www.ihollaback.org/
Megan is a freshman Writing, Literature & Publishing major from sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. She enjoys red lipstick, kombucha, cats, and driving her Volkswagen Beetle named Sasha. She also pretends she's Marina & the Diamonds in her spare time. You can contact Megan on her Twitter or Facebook.
Everyone has the right to walk in public places with the fear of being harassed. For more information on how you can help end street harassment, visit: http://www.ihollaback.org/
Megan is a freshman Writing, Literature & Publishing major from sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. She enjoys red lipstick, kombucha, cats, and driving her Volkswagen Beetle named Sasha. She also pretends she's Marina & the Diamonds in her spare time. You can contact Megan on her Twitter or Facebook.