Street harassment. The words convey images of annoying instances on the street that we’re told to brush off and keep walking. Unfortunately, many women know all too well a more detailed depiction of the scene: the predatory gazes, the cocky grins, the disturbing and violent exclamations hollered by strangers as we walk down the street, and the post-harassment sense of violation and danger that is nearly impossible to shake.
Street harassment is indicative of a whole slew of issues, most notably sexual objectification, public safety and women’s rights. (Street harassment can happen to men as well, but I am focusing on the harassment of women, since this is my experience of the issue.) However, as a fashion columnist, I’m here to write about another part of the puzzle: the implications of street harassment on personal style and freedom of expression.
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On a recent morning, I began my usual stroll to my 9 a.m. class at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. As I was walking through Taylor Mall, the busy main sidewalk of student traffic, I was approached by an adult male stranger. He asked where I was going, and I tried to adopt a polite “sorry, I have somewhere to be” demeanor since I was on my way to class. I was about to tell him to have a nice day when he began to follow me, asking, “Are those stockings? Are you wearing stockings?” Realizing the turn this situation was taking, I ignored him and continued on. As I finally reached the building, I could hear him continuing his tirade, when suddenly I heard him yell the following proclamation: “They shouldn’t allow those!”
That morning, when I put on my trusty black skirt, my floral tights (the “stockings” which apparently were so indecent they should not be viewed by human eyes), a plain t-shirt, and a cardigan, the opinions of random strangers were not even a factor in my fashion choices, nor will they ever be. “Irrelevant” is an understatement for how I would describe this random man’s opinion, as I am a firm believer that everyone should dress for themselves.
But even more shocking and ridiculous than the fact that someone thought my modest, conservative outfit was so scandalous it should be outlawed by my university, was the fact that this individual felt the need to not only follow me to tell me this, but that he had to stand in the middle of the sidewalk yelling it out for all to hear like the town crier.
Unfortunately, many women have experienced predatory sexual harassment in public spaces — men leering and hollering out absurdly crude comments about our bodies. In the past, I have been vaguely aware of how annoying street harassment can be, but I’ve experienced it in much higher volumes since moving to downtown Phoenix. It has happened (numerous times) on my way to the Sun Devil Fitness Complex. It is difficult to convey just how violating it is to have a man look you up and down and comment, “Hey baby.” Friendly can quickly pass into predatory territory.
Now, some would argue that these creeps eye my exposed legs because of my shorts, or that if I wear a tight tank top, how could he not look at my chest? Let’s recognize the ridiculousness of that way of thinking and shut it down quicker than you can say “catcall.” I have the right to wear workout clothes (a legitimate choice of practicality) without feeling violated and preyed on. No, I’m not “asking for it” or dressing to impress the men that line the streets; I just want to get to the freaking gym.
But the gentleman I encountered on this one fine morning on my way to class took a different approach to harassment I had never seen before: outright shaming.
It is important for all individuals to realize the implications of telling girls to patrol what they wear, and patrolling it for them when they don’t. Telling a girl who feels violated and distressed by harassment that she was kind of asking for it based on what she was wearing validates the actions of the harassers. Does anyone really want to live in a city where catcallers on the street determine what citizens can and cannot wear? I’ll take my fashion advice from Vogue, not a random middle-aged man yelling out on the street corner.
I hope one day that all human beings can safely and peacefully walk down the street without being harassed, and that girls can wear what they wish free of uppity judgment and verbal attack. This will only become reality when we quit shaming girls and allow them to go about their days without being followed, pestered, and publicly humiliated. Women have the right to vote, own property and get an education. Now how about the right to walk down the street?
The only thing girls need to do in this situation is to avoid the damaging thought process that anything they are doing is wrong. Ever notice how there’s really no “right” way for girls to dress? Skirts are too short and reveal too much leg, while pants are too form-fitting and suggestive. In a slut-shaming society, there really is no way to fight against the outfit-patrollers. (Those people really give new meaning to the term “fashion police.”) So don’t try. Because by wearing what you want and disregarding the opinions of these judgmental, sexist and backward-thinking individuals, you’ve already won.
So I will continue to wear what I want as I walk down the streets of downtown Phoenix, including … no, especially, stockings.
Contact the columnist at lallnatt@asu.edu
