Did I ask for your attention? I did not.
"Hey HONEYYYY"
"Carrot TOP!"
"You can ride MY bike heh heh"
"Hey baby, gimme a smile"
"Hang on lemme get my camera I'll take your picture baby"
"Hi sweetie"
"RIDE that bike yeah that's nice"
These are just some of the comments that I got while taking a bike for a test ride around a single block in my least favorite part of DC. Note that I only made one loop of the block, so each of these comments is from a different man. I HATE being harassed on the street, both because it makes me feel powerless, and because it changes the way I interact with people as I walk around the city. Even after I left this particular neighborhood, I found myself gritting my teeth and preemptively scowling every time I had to pass a man. In the context of all the harassment and "compliments" that I get on a regular basis, it's hard for me to smile back at a friendly person, or respond positively to a simple "good morning." I always have my guard up, and I don't like being this way.
But I went to this least-favorite neighborhood for a reason, and I am now the owner of a spiffy light-weight 10-speed Schwinn. I had read about this cool bike shop that trains local kids in bike maintenance and then employs them in the shop. The shop does repair on bikes that people bring in, and they fix up used bikes to sell. When I went in, there were only four bikes out front. One of them was a tandem, one of them cost $270, one was a kid bike, and then there was the Schwinn, with a big SOLD tag on it. I was bummed, but I went up front anyway to see if they had anything else. But lo! The Schwinn tag lied, and the bike in fact was for sale, and at the right price! The weather has been pretty nice lately, so perhaps I can start riding to work...
"Carrot TOP!"
"You can ride MY bike heh heh"
"Hey baby, gimme a smile"
"Hang on lemme get my camera I'll take your picture baby"
"Hi sweetie"
"RIDE that bike yeah that's nice"
These are just some of the comments that I got while taking a bike for a test ride around a single block in my least favorite part of DC. Note that I only made one loop of the block, so each of these comments is from a different man. I HATE being harassed on the street, both because it makes me feel powerless, and because it changes the way I interact with people as I walk around the city. Even after I left this particular neighborhood, I found myself gritting my teeth and preemptively scowling every time I had to pass a man. In the context of all the harassment and "compliments" that I get on a regular basis, it's hard for me to smile back at a friendly person, or respond positively to a simple "good morning." I always have my guard up, and I don't like being this way.
But I went to this least-favorite neighborhood for a reason, and I am now the owner of a spiffy light-weight 10-speed Schwinn. I had read about this cool bike shop that trains local kids in bike maintenance and then employs them in the shop. The shop does repair on bikes that people bring in, and they fix up used bikes to sell. When I went in, there were only four bikes out front. One of them was a tandem, one of them cost $270, one was a kid bike, and then there was the Schwinn, with a big SOLD tag on it. I was bummed, but I went up front anyway to see if they had anything else. But lo! The Schwinn tag lied, and the bike in fact was for sale, and at the right price! The weather has been pretty nice lately, so perhaps I can start riding to work...
Comments
You reminded me of my most recent driving lesson, for which we went to Boston. I got cussed at a lot, even though there were student driver signs on the front and back, so I was not in the best mood. At a light, this dude said, "Hey, baby," and my first reaction was to get all bristly, though in a few seconds, I realized he was talking to the lady on the street. My instructor and I ended up talking about stuff like that, and in the end, he told me that I should . . . I don't remember the words he used, but that I should go to the women who sell themselves, the dancers, the ones who walk the street wearing almost nothing, because they were behind this stuff. That was kind of a stressful afternoon.
I can't believe that people try to make excuses for guys who harass women.