Quick hit from Jezabel

We've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. ... [Always 'asking' For It]

from Jezebel by Megan

We've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. Many women in Egypt report being harassed by men, even when wearing the pictured niqab or the more common hijab. Seventy-two percent of the 83 percent of Egyptian women that reported being harassed say they were harassed while veiled. Conservative groups in Egypt are encouraging women to adopt hijabs or niqabs to avoid harassment, while some women say they gave it up entirely after experiencing so much harassment — and are harassed less without. Once again, the problem is never what the woman is wearing — or what she was drinking — it's what men feel inappropriately (or illegally) entitled to do about it. [Washington Post]

Russian judge: Sexual harassment a patriotic duty

Ugh. This just creeps me out. That said, Natalia Antonova raises some good questions about the Russian/English translation and the way the Russian and Western media have been covering this.

Harassment, piropos and hollering back

Feministing's first Friday Feminist Fuck Yeah highlighted the New York City MTA's new ads encouraging victims of random ass-grabbings and other forms of harassment to report it - the idea being that you wouldn't tolerate it at work or at school, you shouldn't have to tolerate it on your commute.


This made me think of my college study abroad in Santiago de Chile, when street harassment (called "piropos" in Chilean), along with other factors, drove me into a pretty serious depression. I actually put on a good 15 pounds in less than 4 months in a failed attempt to get males to stop noticing me. Notice that I say males, not just men. I once had an old man point me out as "potuta" (nice assed) to his 12 year old grandson. The kid then winked at me and yelled "chupamelo princesa" (suck me, princess). Abuelo beamed with pride.

That is no way to start a workday.

I eventually learned some profanities at my own - not that it changed anything, but it did make me feel better. What did not make me feel better was my host mom's indifference to my complaints - she told me that when I got to be her age (50) and lost my looks, I would wish that men still shouted piropos at me!

Has anyone had similar experiences? Do you think that public service ad campaigns like MTA's can help change the cat-call culture?