“Come on back here,”: Young Women and Street Harassment
Since I was 12, I’ve experienced cat calling and other forms of street harassment. This harassment greatly affected the way that I saw myself. As I got older it became clear to me that other young women were experiencing the same thing that I was. Additionally, many of my male peers as well as adults in my life had no idea that I experienced this harassment almost every day.
Street harassment is based on a foundation of unequal power. When calls or comments are directed at a woman on the street, she is supposed to avoid responding, verbally or physically. She is reminded of her place in society and that, no matter who she is, her security is determined and permitted by a stranger. In this short documentary, the narrative is dominated by victims of street harassment telling their side of those interactions and expressing the detrimental effects that they have had on their development and sense of self and safety.
https://youtu.be/6WzPrrITJ4E
This video was made as part of an Independent Study in Journalism.
beautiful, haunting piece. thank you all so much for your participation in this thoughtful film project and for creating and conceiving it, ellen!
sigh… i so wish you all didn’t have to experience this.