Since its appearance on the web at the end of October, a video produced by Hollaback! has gone viral and caused a lot of controversy. Hollaback! is an organization dedicated to ending the unfortunate cultural phenomenon of street harassment, more commonly known as “catcalling.”

The video features a young woman dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt, who walked through the streets of New York City for ten hours while someone walked ahead of her with a hidden camera. The result was a disturbing PSA that highlights exactly how bad street harassment can be. If you haven’t seen it, take a moment to watch the video below.

As always, when the subject of catcalling comes up, it splits viewers into one of two camps:

1. Confusion: Some viewers did not understand what the big deal was, because shouting your appreciation for a stranger’s appearance is a compliment right? Why can’t girls just take the compliments, say “hello,” smile, and move on? (FYI that was sarcasm). Others took note of the fact that white men seem to be absent from the video, and cited it as an example of racism.

2. Outrage: Some viewers identified with the woman’s experience in the video, or maybe never experienced that level of harassment, but declared their support of the organization’s mission.

@iHollaback @staceysager7 The video was shocking! I had no idea how pervasive that problem is. What really disgusted me were the comments.

— Carl Weiner (@carlweiner) October 28, 2014

Street harassment is a form of violence against women. Period. http://t.co/6Ql7qGthxk #VAW @TheCurrentCBC @iHollaback @FeministaJones — Ernestine’s WS (@ErnestinesWS) October 31, 2014

They should remake that catcalling video, starring my Twitter inbox.

— YAYzorblades (@YAYzorblades) November 2, 2014

The point of the video is not to target one race over another as the source of catcalling. It was to show that street harassment is not just men saying “hello” or “hi there” to women passing by, but rather objectifying them regardless of what they are wearing, what race they are, or if they know them. These are not compliments, they are an example of men perceiving themselves as entitled to women’s bodies. Saying “hello” is one thing, but it is rarely just “hello” or “good morning.” No one, man or woman, walks down the street wishing a stranger would talk to them and give them lewd glances or stares.

And catcalling is definitely not a problem restricted to New York City or minorities. A woman who lives in Minneapolis began a campaign called Cards Against Harassment this summer after becoming fed up with the amount of catcalls she and her friends received in the Twin Cities. She even recorded herself handing the cards out to the men who catcall her, informing them that their attention was unwarranted and unwanted.

Reactions to Cards Against Harrassment were much the same as the reactions to Hollaback!’s recent video. Men and women alike questioned why the woman bothered doing this, or why she didn’t just take the compliments. The consensus seems to be that yes, catcalling exists, but there is no way to stop it so why try?

I absolutely hate that mindset. If something is wrong, shouldn’t we do everything in our power to change it?

Catcalling and street harassment is annoying, uncalled for, and in some cases dangerous. Greeting a stranger on the street is one thing, but commenting on her appearance, telling her to smile, shouting profane names at her or otherwise objectifying her is unnecessary. When in the history of the world has a catcall ever gotten the catcaller positive attention from the victim?

Unfortunately, street harassment is a deeply ingrained part of our male-dominated society. It will be extremely difficult to eradicate, but it is possible. As organizations like Cards Against Harassment and Hollaback! have shown, awareness of the issue is growing rapidly and the more people see it as wrong the more likely it will be that it disappears.

There are, in fact, areas of the world where street harassment doesn’t really happen. Take this video shot in Auckland, New Zealand, in which a model tries to replicate the Hollaback! PSA.

Aside from a request for directions and one man trying to talk to her, the model received hardly any reaction from people as she walked down the street. The same model has said that she has resided in New York City before, and the catcalling there “was extreme … I don’t want, or like the attention at all. It’s not a compliment.”

If the New Zealand video should show us anything, it is not that catcalling doesn’t exist, but that it does not have to exist. 

Men and women of the world, take note: shouting at strangers on the street is never wanted. Women don’t go out wishing random men would tell them they’re pretty, just as men don’t walk around expecting women to tell them they’re handsome. Stop catcalling, and the problem stops.

Morgan McMurray

Morgan McMurray is an editor and gender equality blogger based in Seattle, Washington. A 2013 graduate of Iowa State University, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English, Journalism, and International Studies. She spends her free time writing, reading, teaching dance classes, and binge-watching Netflix. Contact Morgan at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Just Stop it With the Street Harassment Already appeared first on Law Street.

One of the trendiest online discussions recently has been about street harassment — namely men catcalling women on the street. Earlier this month, Buzzfeed made a hilarious video about what men really “say” when they catcall.

As funny as that video is though, street harassment is a real issue. At least 65 percent of women report experiencing it, often in the form of lewd comments. I, for one, have experienced it more times than I can count. I know I’m lucky too, it has not gone beyond comments hurled at me as I walk down the street — many women also report having men grab at them, being flashed, or worse.

In a significantly more serious set of videos, women have started videotaping, and sometimes confronting, their street-harassers. One of these women, Lindsey from Minnesota, has started a campaign called “Cards Against Harassment.” They’re clever, to say the least. You can download a set of ten of them to hand out to guys who approach you on the street. For example, one of these cards reads, “I know you think you just paid me a compliment, but unwanted commentary on my appearance by strangers on the street makes me feel self-conscious and objectified.”

There have been a few different hashtags created to bring awareness to the problem of street harassment: #ThatsWhatHeSaid, #NotJustHello, and #YouOkSis are some of the most prominent. Take a second to scroll through them, if you feel up to it. They all contain truly horrifying incidences of street harassment.

In general, I feel like I’ve seen way more op-eds about how street harassment is wrong and how to deal with it in the last few months than I ever remember. For the most part, most commentators on the internet argue against street harassment and vow to put a stop to catcalling.

But then there are some, both men and women, who don’t see a problem with it. For example, New York Post blogger Doree Lewak wrote, “Hey, ladies — catcalls are flattering! Deal with it!” There’s a lot to be said about this article, firstly that it reads almost like satire. I genuinely can’t tell whether it is or no t– but my money is on the fact that it’s probably not satire, but rather a genuine viewpoint created by using hyperbolic language and lame attempts at being funny. Lewak explains that she feels empowered by being catcalled and wolf-whistled. She encourages other women to feel the same — starting with her provocative headline: “Deal with It.” She also points out that some catcalls do still make her feel uncomfortable, pointing out,

Of course, not all catcalls are created equal. The good ones are innocuous, not crass or obscene. To clarify, a compliment is “You’re beautiful,” and not “I like your nipples,” a crude comment beyond the point of no return.

The entire thing is gross in a lot of ways. And even if it’s supposed to funny, it’s clear that this woman has never felt actually harassed by catcalls. It’s clear that she’s never walked home late at night, and had someone — probably drunkenly — yell something obscene at her. If she had, she wouldn’t be writing a poorly done satirical piece making fun of all the women who had experienced that kind of fear.

Because #YesAllWomen, yes all people, need to stand together to eradicate the kind of harassment that so many of us experience. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, it’s just plain rude. And articles like the one Lewak wrote just don’t help.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Women Shouldn’t Have to Deal With Street Harassment appeared first on Law Street.

Last week, feminist writer Amanda Hess wrote a groundbreaking cover story for Pacific Standard Magazine about online harassment and its effect on women. Have you read it yet? You really should. It’s making major waves, and is quickly becoming required reading in the 21^st century feminist canon.

Thanks for sending this my way, Ashley! So much love directed at you right now.

To sum up the gist of this gloriously lengthy story, Hess describes her own experiences with online harassment, cites the experiences of a handful of other feminist writers, and lays down some disturbing statistics about how big a problem online harassment is for women.

According to Hess, despite the fact that women and men have been logging online in equal numbers since 2000, incidents of Internet harassment are disproportionately directed at women. Between 2000 and 2012, 3,787 people reported online harassment to the volunteer organization Working to Halt Online Abuse — and 72.5 percent of reporting victims were female.

In 2006, researchers at the University of Maryland decided to test this phenomenon, creating a bunch of fake online accounts and sending them off into chat rooms. The results of this little experiment? Accounts with feminine-sounding usernames received an average of 100 violent, threatening, and/or sexual messages each day. Masculine-sounding usernames received 3.7.

Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that no one is surprised by this bullshit. Offline, in the real, flesh-and-blood world, women are routinely harassed in every arena of our lives. At work, on the street, at home, in our beds, at our grandpa’s 90^th birthday party, at our cousin’s wedding — the list could go on.

And it’s no mystery why. In this patriarchal culture, women are considered inherently less than — less strong, less smart, less human. Less worthy of respect and equal treatment. Feminism has made its gains, for sure. We’re allowed to go to work and own property and forgo marriage and all kinds of awesome things.

But we’re still only paid an average of 77 cents to a man’s dollar. We still bear the brunt of household labor, in addition to our day jobs. We’re still saddled with the bulk of childcare responsibilities. We’re still raped and beaten and murdered in depressingly high numbers, every day. So, given the reality of our daily lives, it makes sense that the harassment would continue online.

You don’t have to look far to find concrete examples of this shit. This week, following the publication of Hess’ cover story, Pacific Standard Magazine is running a whole mess of personal stories, sent in by women who’ve experienced sexual harassment online. Go read them and throw up all over your keyboard. Or, head over to xoJane, to read one of the most epic accounts of dealing with online harassment’s magnum opus, revenge porn.

Or, for a more fun experience, ask your friends! I’m sure they have stories for you. One of my besties, who just recently deactivated her OkCupid account, gave me this little gem when I asked her if she had any nausea-inducing stories to share with me. (She had a zillion to choose from.)

“There was a guy who told me he wanted to eat my ass out in Bobst during finals. I responded with outrage. He became enraged and told me I was ugly and was very cruel. Then I calmly explained to him he was harassing me and that his responses were inappropriate and that there were real people on the other end of the profiles and I like to think he learned something.”

WARNING: Turning harassment into a teachable moment may not be something to try at home. Not for the faint of heart.

I even have my own Internet harassment stories. When I was in middle school, I briefly dated a handful of douchebags. (We’re using the term “dated” very loosely here. Think late night phone calls and hallway handholding.) I nixed each one from my life after a few months, but years later, when Facebook became all the rage in high school, they all managed to find their way back into my universe.

One tracked down my phone number through mutual friends and starting calling me, leaving voicemails, and basically being a huge pain in my ass. Another took it upon himself to send me a lengthy message about how he hoped I would die a slow, painful death as punishment for being a big, scary dyke.

Not fun, you guys. Not fun at all.

So, the moral of the story here? Internet harassment, like flesh-and-blood harassment, is a real thing. And the more we all start talking about it, the more likely it will be taken seriously.

So, what’s your Internet harassment story? Blow it up in the comments.

—

Hannah R. Winsten (@HannahRWinsten) is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow.

Featured image courtesy of [Devon Buchanan via Flickr]

Hannah R. Winsten

Hannah R. Winsten is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow. Contact Hannah at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Internet Harassment Is a Major Problem for Women appeared first on Law Street.

Happy New Year’s Eve, lovelies!

Folks, I can’t wrap my head around this 2014 business. I literally feel like 2013 didn’t happen. A year has never passed so quickly in my entire life. (Don’t I say that every year? Whatever.) Anyway! In honor of this super awesome day — a day that marks fresh starts, new beginnings, and exciting adventures — I thought we should talk about resolutions.

That’s right. New Year’s Resolutions. And not those bullshit ones about losing weight and juicing half your food and spending more time on Skype with your long distance friends. No one ever sticks to those. I’m talking about some resolutions we can really believe in, à la Miranda Hobbes.

Buzzfeed did a fabulous post last week about how the red-headed attorney  was the most empowering of the four Sex and the City characters, and I’d have to agree. If she was a real person, I’m pretty sure she’d be a fan of The F Word, am I right?

So! Without further ado, let’s be more like Miranda this year, mmkay?

Resolution #1: Don’t be afraid to tell someone to fuck off. Ever. Embrace that power gladly.

HBO / Via loveforlabels.eu

Miranda may have been the queen of no-fuss breakups, but this resolution doesn’t just apply to romantic relationships. Republican douchebags preventing you from accessing a safe abortion? Tell ’em to go fuck themselves. Obamacare failing to provide you with real health insurance? Tell ’em to fuck that. Say it loud and say it proud, folks. Because that’s the only way we’re going to make anything better.

Resolution #2: Fuck up the patriarchy and its traditional gender roles.

Thanks HBO!

Loves, Miranda may have been a totally femme straight lady, but she rocked a suit and tie like nobody’s business. She also earned more money than any of her boyfriends, failed to romanticize marriage and motherhood, and even embraced a lesbian identity (albeit, a fake one) in order to make partner at her law firm.

Remember when Miranda bought that ginormous apartment all by herself? Or when she told all of her friends to STFU about their man problems and focus the conversation on something more substantive?

Miranda subverted all the patriarchal expectations surrounding gender — namely, that women should be quiet, submissive, and dependent on a man. And you know what? She was fucking awesome at it.

Let’s resolve to be equally awesome at toppling the patriarchy.

Resolution #3: Don’t apologize for your sexuality.

HBO / Via tumblr.com

Anybody remember the scene we’re referencing here? It’s epic.

Miranda’s been going through a dry spell, and one day, as she’s walking down the street, a group of rowdy construction workers starts catcalling her. Like any good feminist, Miranda got pissed about the street harassment that follows women fucking everywhere. But, she took a unique and super badass approach to handling it. She walked right up to her catcallers and asked them if they were actually interested in fucking her. Because she was horny, and had no time for silly games. Be prepared to make good on your offer — or STFU.

Not surprisingly, her harassers were totally intimidated and basically tried to curl up into little balls and disappear right there in the middle of the street. What can we learn from Miranda here? Don’t be ashamed of your sexuality. Know your needs and seek to have them met, unapologetically. Get it, grrrl.

Resolution #4: Don’t second guess yourself. Call bullshit when you see it — and stand up for yourself.

HBO / Via tumblr.com

While the three other ladies of SATC bitched about how to keep a man, Miranda told them how it is, plain and simple. As a feminine presenting person, you’re often expected to metaphorically — and sometimes, literally — bow down to your partner if you want your relationship to stay intact.

Well, loves, Miranda says fuck that. And I do too.

Let’s all resolve to stay empowered as individuals this year. Let’s be the best people we can be, independently. And if somebody doesn’t like that — whether it’s your partner, your boss, your professor, or the entire Republican party — fuck ’em. Life’s too short.

See folks? Isn’t Miranda awesome? I told you.

Are you with me on these resolutions for 2014? What would you add to the list? Blow it up in the comments!

—

Hannah R. Winsten (@HannahRWinsten) is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow.

Featured image courtesy of [John Gilbert Leavitt via Flickr]

Hannah R. Winsten

Hannah R. Winsten is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow. Contact Hannah at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post New Year’s Resolution: Fuck Shit Up with Miranda Hobbes appeared first on Law Street.