emmelinemay | Street Harrasment

Thanks to

littleangel_103, who has brought my attention to this site, which, while being one of those horrible little frame set websites, seems to be about the exact same thing that's been getting me in a right rage lately - 'casual' street harassment.

Particularly interesting are the stories from women who have experienced it - it's the same story pretty much over and over.

It seems that somehow, a large proportion those of you with a Y chromosome seem to feel it's ok to shout and leer and approach women in the street. Well, IT'S NOT. And I'm not going to go on a big rant about why, as I've already done that once recently. As the week has gone on since I wrote that, I'm increasingly coming to the opinion that it doesn't actually matter why it is unacceptable and just plain wrong - what matters is that it is unacceptable and just plain wrong.

As

bluekieran pointed out, the only way THEY (being, you know, society at large) are going to become aware of it is if it's on the front pages of the Sun (and its ilk), or covered as a storyline in a soap, or picked up by some celebrities. Of course, celebrities should know all about being hassled - but that's taken as part of the job description really. Who on earth could be a spokesperson for 'casual street harassment'?

There areone or two articles linked from the site about this issue, including this New Statesmen one.

So. Street Harassment. Is it just a 'fact of life'? 'boys will be boys'? Should women 'take it as a compliment?'

Or is it a serious indicator of how women are still viewed in society?

I've never been very interested in feminism before, or campaigning for anything really. I've got on with what I believe in in my own way, volunteering with kids, becoming vegan, trying to buy ethically. Little drops in the ocean. But this has really got me wound up, and the more I dig, the more wound up I get. I can't tackle this one in a little private way, I'll probably end either in a ditch having been attacked by a bloke I've retaliated to, or in jail, having been arrested for thumping a bloke I've retaliated to.

If more people were aware, and could accept that this is actually a very serious issue, would it make a difference? Would the 'good' Y chromosome owners take more care in how they approach women?? Would the public, witnessing a woman being the victim of street harassment, be more inclined to come to her support if the message were one of 'this is rude and ill mannered behaviour' rather than 'she's wearing a skirt, she asked for it'?

Harassment in the work place is increasingly recognised and legislated against, with high profile cases in the news on a regular basis. What about harassment, in public, by strangers? Is that somehow less hurtful, less affecting, less important than harassment in the workplace?

Why, with the enormous amount of (albeit anecdotal; and we already know that anecdote =/= singular of data) evidence out there that this is a huge, and totally endemic, problem with society, is it not MORE IMPORTANT?

Answers on a postcard.

If i start wearing dungarees, stop washing, and start singing protest songs in parks, someone please kill me. Especially if i start talking about burning my bra.