You won’t believe how many times this woman gets harassed in 10 hours.

How did this PSA come about?

In August 2014, Rob Bliss of Rob Bliss Creative reached out to Hollaback! to partner on a PSA highlighting the impact of street harassment. He was inspired by his girlfriend — who gets street harassed all the time — and Shoshana B. Roberts volunteered to be the subject of his PSA. For 10 hours, Rob walked in front of Shoshana with a camera in his backpack, while Shoshana walked silently with two mics in her hands.

As part of Rob’s agreement with Hollaback!, Rob had creative control over the PSA and owns it with unlimited usage rights for Hollaback!.  Hollaback! is grateful for Rob and Shoshana’s dedication to this issue, and for their volunteer service.

What is street harassment?

Street harassment is a form of sexual harassment that takes place in public spaces. It exists on a spectrum including “catcalling” or verbal harassment, stalking, groping, public masturbation, and assault. At its core is a power dynamic that constantly reminds historically subordinated groups (women and LGBTQ folks, for example) of their vulnerability to assault in public spaces. Further, it reinforces the ubiquitous sexual objectification of these groups in everyday life. Street harassment can be sexist, racist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist, sizeist and/or classist.  It is an expression of the interlocking and overlapping oppressions we face and it functions as a means to silence our voices and “keep us in our place.” At Hollaback!, we believe that what specifically counts as street harassment is determined by those who experience it.  If you’ve experienced street harassment, we’ve got your back!

Is Shoshana’s experience unique?

The experience of street harassment is different for everyone.  Street harassment disproportionately impacts women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and young people.  Although the degree to which Shoshana gets harassed is shocking — the reality is that the harassment that people of color and LGBTQ individuals face is oftentimes more severe and more likely to escalate into violence. These forms of harassment are not just sexist — but also racist and homophobic in nature.

For more information on how harassment impacts people different, please read our guide on street harassment and identity called #harassmentis.

Does street harassment only happen in NYC?

Street harassment happens everywhere, although our maps indicate that population density may be a factor for it.  If you think about it, this makes sense: if one out of every fifty guys you pass is going to harass you, you’ll be far more likely to experience street harassment on Wall Street than in a Walmart parking lot.

Hollaback! has 79 sites in 26 countries around the world, from Alberta, Canada to Delhi, India. Every site is working to end street harassment in their communities and support individuals who share their stories of harassment. You can check out their stories (and provide support) here.

Is Street Harassment a Cultural Thing?

Like all forms of gender-based violence, street harassers fall evenly across lines of race and class.  It is a longstanding myth that street harassment is a “cultural” thing, perpetrated mostly by men of color.  We believe that street harassment is a “cultural” thing in the sense that it emerges from a culture of sexism — and unfortunately — that is everyone’s culture.

It’s important to keep in mind that is this video only captures verbal harassment, and Rob and Shoshana can attest to the harassment overall falling evenly along race and class lines. While filming, Shoshana noted, “I’m harassed when I smile and I’m harassed when I don’t. I’m harassed by white men, black men, latino men. Not a day goes by when I don’t experience this.”

How do I get involved?

Share this message with your friends and donate. We can’t end this alone.

Published on October 27, 2014 at 7:21 pm

The Hollaback! Silent Auction is Here!

Hello HOLLAbidders,

Our first ever online silent auction has launched! We are so excited to have you #HOLLAbid on all of the goodies we have to offer including yoga classes, jewelry, home baked brownies, public speaking training and much more!

You can make a #HOLLAbid on any number of cool gifts and services while also making an impactful investment in our organization. With the click of a mouse, you can generate both a recreational and social return on your investment in us.

Peruse our site, find some things that you love, and place your #HOLLAbid. The auction is running until Monday, November 3 at midnight EST.

Happy bidding,

- The Hollaback! Board

Published on October 27, 2014 at 2:32 pm

Week In Our Shoes: Survey, Survey, Survey Edition!

Happy Friday Hollabacker’s!

This week, the Hollaback! mothership attended the Emily May classroom at the Lower East Side Girls Prep and worked with fourth graders on a public art project.  Additionally, we received press hits from The Gothamist, Telesur, and NY City Lens.

We are working to spread the word on two big awesome things, and you can help!

1) #Carrythatweight. Stand in solidarity with Emma Sulkowitz on 10/29. http://www.carryingtheweighttogether.com/get-involved. Carry a mattress and demand the end of sexual violence on college campuses and around the world.

2) As previously announced, our international street harassment survey is live. Thank you everyone for sending out the survey links. There are many different languages and locations. Send out the survey to as many list serves as possible. Reach high, reach wide! An international survey will give us worldwide solutions!

And here’s what the rest of our sites around the world have been up to….

Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio alerted us to the media coverage of the F@#KRAPECULTURE rally had some glaring omissions. Here’s one reporter’s attempt at starting to put LGBT people and women of color back into the headlines. Props for keeping the Hollaback! movement intersectional. 

Hollaback! Bahamas guest lectured a Sociology class at The College of The Bahamas on street harassment and gender issues. They were also special guests at College of The Bahamas Union of Students’ Equality in Democracy forum. Additionally The Tribune reported on Hollaback! Bahamas’ presence at the Global Citizenship Conference in New Orleans.

Hollaback! Gent and Brussels co-organized a workshop on body-shaming and especially fat-shaming street harassment with FatPositivity Belgium.

Quentin Daspremont of Hollaback Brussels has been invited to give a talk on street harassment for the occasion of the comic book release of Project Crocodiles (pictured left). Project Crocodiles is a comic book and tumblr project of the illustrator/artist Thomas Mathieu where he transforms real harassment stories into drawings where harassers are crocodiles. We worked with Thomas before and he has transformed our bystander guide and tips on how to respond page into drawings/memes that have gone viral. 

In other news for Hollabacker’s, CBS coverage of food shaming has hopped from Boston, to Miami to Hollaback! Pittsburgh and the Know Your Rights Guide continues to get press. 

Great job this week, team! HOLLA and out!

– The Hollaback! Staff 

Published on October 24, 2014 at 3:56 pm

You’re Fine: An Excerpt From Gina Tron’s Stunning New Memoir

The following is an excerpt from You’re Fine by Gina Tron through Papercut Press. Available online and at selected indie bookstores. 

1. MACHECHO

When I met Dr. Machecho, I found that he was not nearly as funny as his name.

“Have a seat,” he said sharply as I followed him into a small room. He was a tall, intimidating man with a cold demeanor. He sat in a chair in front of me and skimmed through some papers in a file.

“I didn’t have the chance to look at your chart yet. Why are you here?”

“Cocaine, mostly. They said I have PTSD and that I’m bipolar.” I said it all very matter of factually and with as little emotion as possible. I didn’t want him to see that I was annoyed with the place because I figured that would make him less likely to help me.

“I want to get out of here. I only got to attend two meetings here and they were not at all helpful for me.”

He was glancing down at a piece of paper that I guessed was my chart.

“So, I see you got raped.”

“Yes.”

“Next time, make sure not to put yourself in that situation again.”

“Excuse me?

“Don’t put yourself in that situation again,” he stated with the deadest of eyes.

“How do you even know I put myself into that situation?”

“Then how did it happen?” he inquired with a smirk.

“You don’t even know anything about it! I don’t have to take this bullshit! I’ve been hard enough on myself.”

I stormed out of his office, ignoring his cries to stop as I walked to my room. In the corridor, I kicked over the same garbage can that I had knocked over before.

“Déjà vu,” I mumbled, giggling.

Tyler was lurking around the medication window and witnessed my tantrum.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

I told him what had occurred with Dr. Machecho and he sighed.

“What an asshole. But look, you gotta be cool with him. He’s responsible for getting you out of here. Just have him sign the papers for you.” The ex-crackhead, Tyler, had more

of a voice of reason than I did.

Dr. Machecho walked up to us. I was glaring at him and he seemed as though he was aware that he had said something wrong. I guess he thought that he could abuse me until I fought back. He was no different from all these other motherfuckers who think they can abuse whoever they want until the “victim” shows their fucking teeth. I feel like a lot of people, sometimes even people in authority, treat people they consider to be beneath them as animals. Guess if I’m an animal, I’m a koala: docile, yet vicious when provoked.

“Let’s talk,” said Dr. Machecho.

“I don’t want to talk to you! If you want to fucking talk, then talk to me in the hallway, where people can hear what you’re saying. I don’t trust you.”

He was visibly shaking. Perhaps he did not expect me to react in such a way, but I didn’t feel like I was acting that angry. My behavior was nothing compared to Natasha’s.

She’d probably punch this guy out for coughing.

“If you want to leave, then you have to sign some paperwork with me. I’ll give you whatever prescription drugs you want. And you have to promise to set up outpatient with your social worker. I’ll get the ball rolling on that. What are they giving you?”

“Paxil. Seroquel. Vistaril.”

“Okay, so I will give you a month’s worth of all those prescriptions. That should hold you over until you get a new doctor at your outpatient.”

He was very polite at this point. He spoke to me with respect, like he was talking to another human rather than a dog.

“Lovely,” I sneered. I resented him for only talking to me with respect because I had demanded it. I hated him for being a person who would, I perceive, prey on the weak. “How generous of you to give me all the drugs I want. If I get raped while on drugs that are prescribed to me, do I still deserve it?”

“You shouldn’t talk that way,” he said, “It’s unbecoming of a young lady.”

Published on October 23, 2014 at 5:48 pm

Sophia’s Story: Street Harassment in Neukölln

It’s not just one event, being harassed happens to me as often as I wash my hair. For every day in Neukölln I walk the streets freely and assault free, there is another where young men, old men, guys in groups, fathers with their children walking beside them, comment my appearance, insult me, tell me to have sex with them or grab my butt. In 99% of the cases I don’t dare doing anything because the people who witness the assault and my response would attack me and support the offender! Of course I hate being harassed, but I fear for my safety if I do anything.

Published on October 22, 2014 at 3:46 pm

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