The Bizarre Things Women Do to Protect Themselves
If you’re a woman, odds are you’ve known the sensation of unwanted male attention, and there’s a bevy of seemingly crazy things you do to avoid it that now form a part of your daily routine: Instinctively checking your phone when you pass a group of men, crossing the sidewalk whenever you notice a lone shadow on the corner when you’re walking home at night, skipping over popsicles, bananas, and ice cream cones as snacks to take outside because of the inevitable comparisons they’ll draw.
Yeah, it sounds weird but, guess what, guys: Women do these things all the time, and most of them have become totally ingrained in their behaviors so they don’t even notice themselves doing anything strange. A recent string of articles have been written on the subject which most women feel is completely out of their control, in an attempt to shed light and bring awareness to it. One such article on xoJane made rounds on the social media sphere in the last month (even though it was written way back in September) for its controversial message: Women who use the excuse “I have a boyfriend” to get away from would-be harassers are endorsing the notion that a woman’s value is dependent on whether she “belongs” to a man. The solution? Simply say you’re not interested, and stay committed to that answer.
One blogger on Buzzfeed took to compiling a list of all the bizarre things women do to avoid getting any of that unwanted attention in the first place. The compilation starts with a story about how a friend had a conversation with a male coworker in which the man suggested she go for her daily runs in the evening hours over the Manhattan Bridge -- the lack of other people, cooler weather, and beautiful views, he argued, make for a great run. What he failed to comprehend is all the ways such a run could be unsafe for a solitary woman, and this, in turn, led to the creation of the list. Some actions -- like traveling alone or leaving drinks unattended -- are “common sense” things that we learn from the time we’re children. Others -- such as not getting into a subway car with just men, wearing heels when walking alone, and avoiding living in certain neighborhoods or on certain blocks -- are learned behaviors that take up an incredible amount of emotional bandwidth, time, and energy that men rarely have to devote towards their own safety.
Women and women’s rights groups alike have taken to increasing efforts to bring more attention to these issues in the media and in the public sphere, and the ways these efforts have manifested are interesting in their diversity. Forums and organizations have been created to discuss the issues and determine best ways to tackle them. Social awareness campaigns decorate the public areas of different cities. Artists have been venting their frustrations out in their work, and one especially introspective video shows just how uncomfortable a world in which women harass men would be.
So far, there’s not a whole lot of relief to be found. A report released by the Huffington Post at the end of 2013 found that 13% of respondents of their survey had been harassed at one point or another by their boss or another superior at work, 19% had been harassed by a co-worker, and that 70% of those harassed had not ever reported it. According to a 2008-2012 report by the Department of Justice, there’s an average of 237,868 victims of sexual assault aged 12 or older every year -- which comes out to about one instance of sexual assault every two minutes. And though sexual assault rates in the U.S. have dropped by 50% in recent years, that’s still about 4.2 million victims in the past 20 years.
Women have it rough, and it doesn’t really seem to be getting any better. But there are always ways for guys to help out, if they feel so inclined. The ladies in your life will benefit from it, so, why not?
[Pic via Flickr - Michael]
