10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman

 

Update, from my friend Lyndsey:

I never liked the fact that I was/am expected to say “thank you” for comments made on the street by a random person or when I am told to “smile” more by people I don’t know. I consider myself a friendly person, but there is a line between being nice and injecting your pervy aura onto someone who really doesn’t care about what you think. This video is the perfect example of that line being crossed.

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Love this (hate this, sad). It’s quite a wake up call for we men…even those of us who would never do such…we just don’t go through it.Moral of the story: We don’t need to get uptight. PC. But we do need to be polite. I have “friends” in my community who lech themselves all over women on every dance floor, pushing themselves on anyone they can get near at a party. Yes, it’s okay, even great to say “how you doing this morning,” if you mean it. Not if you’re trying to get laid with every attractive stranger who walks by, trying to live their life and enjoy their morning.

I would hope that most of us gentlemen were raised right and wouldn’t do this–but it’s all the more powerful to realize that others get this kind of unasked-for-attention. I certainly never do.

This was on the front page of reddit, today, which can be a pretty man-centric community, and even reddit was shocked. One comment:

“I lived, worked and went to university in NYC in the 70s and 80s. Street harassment was a big issue back then. Some of what I endured was much much worse than what is seen in this video. Guys exposing themselves, guys threatening to rape my fucking ass because I wouldn’t talk to them, other hostile acts and taunts. Construction workers were the stereotypical harassers but it was not confined to them. Anybody could be a harasser. Guys in 3 piece suits going to work would harass me. Clean cut guys on the subway grabbing me or exposing themselves. And it was just as many whites as blacks as latinos. I don’t remember any Asians bugging me.

At some point you learn to tune it out but it is disrespectful and annoying. I have a right to be left alone to go about my business undisturbed. Just because I show my face in public does not mean I am looking for dick.”

Two more:

“Its every where. Evverrryyy wheerrreee. I’m a guy and I can’t walk with my girlfriend hardly any where in the city without her still getting cat calls. At first you go to confront them but there’s just so fucking many of them that its just not feasible.”

“For real. I live in a smallish middle class town, I don’t dress revealingly (esp. this time of year when it’s so cold) and I’m not some hot babe type either, I’m pretty much a plain looking hippie girl. The other night I was walking home and a guy walking towards me said “Hey baby you look cold need a sweater” and aggressively tried to wrap his sweatshirt around me. Not five minutes later some other random dude said “Hey can I walk with you baby?” and fell into step beside me. This stuff is not limited to big cities with low income areas, nor is it only directed at girls who have obvious “assets” like the lady in this video… You’re so right when you say it’s everywhere.”