Though many people have referred to it as such, this was not an “awareness raising” campaign. Do we need to raise awareness that the sky is blue? Street harassment is so common and normalized that we hardly even talk about it. Instead, our goal was to name it, and by naming it, problematize it. - Deputy Director Anna Kegler
On the website, examples of the ads, as well as reactions to them, are posted.
A slideshow of all the ads can be seen here.
As a female, I have experienced street harassment starting when I was about 12 or 13 years old. Most of the men I have talked to, and some of the women too, believe it is simply a part of life and that there is no harm to catcalls or whistling at someone as they walk by. But there is harm. When girls no longer feel comfortable and safe doing everyday activities such as walking around the neighborhood or taking the subway, there is a serious problem. I am so grateful to this ad campaign for showing people that this type of behavior is not acceptable. I hope that one day anyone will be able to walk down the street without fear of harassment from a random stranger. This campaign is definitely a step in the right direction.
This is a good idea. Since I bet most harassers learned their harassing behavior on the street anyway.
ReplyDeleteI also like the examples, "Nice a** is not a compliment." You'd think that would be common sense but I guess when you don't respect people (women) it's easy to try to justify your otherwise explicit observations and try to claim its harmless because it's a compliment.
I'd rather see things ads like these than a pepsi ad with a subliminal sexual messages but I bet these don't make as much money
I can completely relate to the uncomfortable feeling of street harassment. And it's interesting and also kind of sad how it's become almost expected when I walk from my house to downtown Annapolis. I walk along west street and have done so for years and I can't think of a single time a group of men in a car haven't honked or called out the window. It's become a game for my sister and I to bet on how many men will honk or whistle and at times it's happened more than once in one walk. It's also funny to note how these men don't do or say anything, though, when I am walking with a guy friend or a larger group with both girls and boys.
ReplyDeleteI think this campaign is definitely a good one and hope the DC metro adopts a similar campaign as well!