tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post8968680159910989185..comments2019-05-15T23:59:20.159-07:00Comments on Feminist Legal Theory: My First Street HarrasmentLisa R. Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-44290903414299045332012-11-28T14:42:18.062-08:002012-11-28T14:42:18.062-08:00I have had years to perfect my LA bus face. Throug...I have had years to perfect my LA bus face. Throughout college, and for years afterward, I commuted to school and work on LA metro. For up to two hours I sat on the bus while strange men got on and off and gawked at me shamelessly, sometimes slinging inappropriate comments my way. Often I observed other women’s bus face to pick up tips and learn what was most effective. For me, it was keeping my headphones plugged in, and eyes fixed on buildings and billboards outside. <br /><br />Metro officials in Washington D.C. are taking steps to reduce occurrences of sexual harassment for commuters. http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/03/metro-sexual-harassment-wmata-upping-efforts-to-combat-incidents-74090.html. In April 2012, the agency launched an online portal for customers to report incidents of harassment to Metro Transit Police. http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/04/02/metro-goes-digital-to-crack-down-on-sexual-harassment/. Additionally, employees on trains and buses are receiving better training on how to deal with harassment when it happens. I think these are definitely steps that all transportation agencies need to consider. <br />MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14810488732249022629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-44881764030208975142012-11-13T06:09:23.245-08:002012-11-13T06:09:23.245-08:00I've definitely been in the same boat; boobs b...I've definitely been in the same boat; boobs by 6th grade led to a really strange experience of being cat called as a child. I don't think it was even recognized as harassment that many years ago, and I definitely didn't understand the implications of it.<br /><br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P4eVjwVd_U<br />Maybe there's hope!Palihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05100985394998995338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-48355419661201868622012-10-17T14:33:23.520-07:002012-10-17T14:33:23.520-07:00Cat calls are always uncomfortable and unsettling....Cat calls are always uncomfortable and unsettling. Getting catcall when you're with your friends or in the day time makes you feel terrible, violated, and self-conscious. However, there are certain times when this act is particularly frightening and threatening. I think of all the times that I have walked home in the evening hours or at night, and often alone. Cat calling in these situations makes me feel particularly vulnerable and afraid of attack. It is in these situations that I feel most like the prey being stalked by a predator as analogized by Sarah in a more recent post. Patricijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07301065108893875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-7183664315412037532012-10-17T13:19:35.213-07:002012-10-17T13:19:35.213-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14810488732249022629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-6964107227693566222012-10-17T09:31:24.301-07:002012-10-17T09:31:24.301-07:00http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/upload/157555...http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/upload/157555686934592694_CoQ6pCVk_c.jpg<br /><br /><3 Palihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05100985394998995338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-79901891589870808292012-10-11T14:09:39.161-07:002012-10-11T14:09:39.161-07:00I can't remember the first time I was "ca...I can't remember the first time I was "cat-called," but do know, at some point, I figured out what my response would be: picking my nose. As a pre-teen who also developed relatively early, picking my nose was the least sexual gesture I could think of. I figured I would remind them that I'm human and try to de-sexualize myself. The best part is that it works. I feel more confident now to shoot someone a dirty look when this happens, but on occasion, if I'm feeling particularly vulnerable, I will start picking my nose and the harassment stops. Try it sometime. The reactions are pretty funny.CEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02633830407602623200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-24379833630388068812012-10-11T05:06:38.783-07:002012-10-11T05:06:38.783-07:00One of my favorite "early" (relatively s...One of my favorite "early" (relatively speaking--it was 1993) feminist legal theory law review articles was (and is) "Street Harassment and the Informal Ghettoization of Women" by Cynthia Grant Bowman in the Harvard Law Review. You can read about it here:<br /><br />http://www.feministlawprofessors.com/2007/11/cynthia-bowman-street-harassment-and-the-informal-ghettoization-of-women/<br /><br />A link to the full article is here:<br /><br />https://files.nyu.edu/stc215/public/BowmanHLR.pdfLisa R. Pruitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-75743625896736612442012-10-10T14:49:25.988-07:002012-10-10T14:49:25.988-07:00You are so right to point out that Street Harassme...You are so right to point out that Street Harassment – which has always seemed to me to enjoy a remarkably high degree of social acceptance -- is but one of the many ways women feel a “responsibility to make [themselves] smaller so as not to attract that kind of attention.” It is also, I think, one of the most overt and public manifestations of male sexual dominance in our society. Can you imagine a group of women throwing sexually charged remarks as male passersby? Maybe. But is it sufficiently commonplace to be the subject of parody (http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/2012/10/snlskit/)? No. Definitely not. <br /><br />KSergent’s comment, I think, illustrates one of the difficulties associated with addressing street harassment: the harassers are often complimenting the listener (albeit in usually crude terms). Sometimes, it’s nice to feel pretty. It’s nice to feel like others find you attractive. And when you’re accustomed to the catcalls, and find them lacking, you might wonder what went wrong. (So to speak.) In addition, for many people, it’s harder to verbally object to the language – and to create a public conflict – than it is to walk away and put on your “bus face.” <br /><br />Perhaps one solution here is to make Street Harassment criminal. That is, Street Harassment could be outlawed as a public nuisance in the same way many jurisdictions ban public urination, public intoxication, etc. If the harassee knows the behavior is illegal, might it be easier for her to assume the harasser has refrained in order to comply with the law (rather than attribute his silence to her “ugliness”)? I wonder -- and pose the question to any interested readers -- do some jurisdictions outlaw Street Harassment? If so, I imagine enforcement issues (not to mention potential constitutional problems) abound…Mohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18388948187362912185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-51133320639076530432012-10-10T11:35:28.502-07:002012-10-10T11:35:28.502-07:00I also experienced street harassment from a young ...I also experienced street harassment from a young age. What is troubling is that it affected the way I viewed myself. My self worth was based on my sexuality. If a guy "cat-called" me from a car or hit on me while I was waiting at the bus stop, I felt good about myself (even though I thought the person was annoying and often did not know what to say back). On days when guys would ignore me, I figured I looked ugly. <br /><br />This was clearly unhealthy, but I think that this type of constant objectification causes many young women to subconsciously value themselves through men's inappropriate conduct.<br /><br />KSergenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04565048927655710411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302245627574027504.post-30924677711309001292012-10-10T08:54:12.119-07:002012-10-10T08:54:12.119-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Palihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05100985394998995338noreply@blogger.com