Verbal street harassment has been overlooked for years, and is still very prominent today. I could not even fathom the amount of times that I have been verbally harassed while walking down the street over the last few years. Since I have been on campus alone I have heard sexual or inappropriate remarks over 10 times. After analyzing how often myself and the people I know experienced some sort of harassment or catcalling, I began to wonder how prominent street harassment really is towards females today. I began researching and came across a website for a non profit organization called “Stop Street Harassment”. I was able to find a lot of information regarding harassment towards women, specifically that takes place on the streets. I reviewed an informal study that the founder of the organization conducted. I was astonished to find out that out of the 811 female participants found that more than 99% of them had experienced some sort of street harassment in their life. It was very eye opening to see actually see how many women experience this kind of harassment.
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-43718034
Throughout history, women have been viewed as inferior to men as well as judged and ridiculed. Women were objectified, and believed to serve solely for men and to tend to household needs. Women’s bodies have also become more sexualized throughout the years. Many men and people who don’t view catcalling as a form of harassment believe that they are complimenting women, or believe that women enjoy their remarks. But, the reality of street harassment is that many women become intimidated and feel vulnerable and intimidated. I think this mindset stems from the ideas that history carved that women are valued by their looks and their bodies. We need to break the belief that women’s bodies are objects, and one for the public to sexualize and comment on.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42767434
The idea that men are superior to women is described in Simone de Beauvoir’s theory regarding “One” versus the “Other”. She explains that men are the reason women are oppressed because they characterize them as the “Other” or the weaker group. De Beauvoir’s theory helps further explain the systemic injustices women are still facing today. Her ideas help highlight where harassment towards women stems from, and helps the reader understand the historical background of the oppression and hardships women faced. I think street harassment is still prevalent in todays society because it is popularly perceived as harmless and insignificant. For women to no longer fall victim to this systemic injustices that is still apparent today we must see how inappropriate and harmful these comments truly are.
Related Video: https://youtu.be/lcwVfbSk7sY
- Relevance: The viral video shows a woman walking down the streets in NYC while wearing a camera. The video includes about 100 sexual or inappropriate comments.
Related article: https://today.tamu.edu/2019/11/19/what-were-you-wearing-exhibit-explores-sexual-violence-myth/
- Relevance: This article highlights how people make excuses, like what the victim is wearing, for sexual harassment and assault instead of accepting the real root of the problem.
Related article: https://stopstreetharassment.org/resources/statistics/
- Relevance: Article provides a study to provide an understanding of the magnitude of the issue.
Related Images: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-43718034
- Relevance: The images are from protests that began in the UK that spread worldwide, and fought against verbal sexual harassment.
I loved your post. As soon as I began reading, I knew de Beauvoir would be an excellent comparison. Even the title of her work, The Second Sex, demonstrates that sexism and inequality is not a new issue. I found it very moving how personal and specific your writing was. It is easy to lose sight of some of the issues we discuss and forget how real these are- that real people are impacted. I never knew there was a nonprofit fighting catcalling, but I am glad to know it exists. Are there any programs on Ohio State’s campus fighting catcalling and sexual harassment? How does Ohio State compare to other universities, and are college universities worse than the cities around them for cat calling? I agree that catcalling is seen as harmless and insignificant, allowing some to dismiss it. Is there a psychological or social reason that some people catcall? Quite honestly, I have never understood why some people do it and believe it is acceptable, and I would love to know exactly why someone would be motivated to do something like that.