Heeeeeeeeey… lookin’ fine!
Where you goin’ honey? Come over here and give me some…
(Long drawn out whistle)
Did you drop your smile? I found it!
Damn girl! What are you, a double D?
If you are a girl, and you have ever left your house, you’ve probably heard one of these lines or something like it. And it sucks. Not fun, not appreciated, and DEFINITELY not complimentary. Sometimes it gets physical, with groping, “accidental touching” and even violence. Any kind of sexual harassment is NOT ok, but that fact doesn’t seem to make it stop. Finally though, there is a public place to talk about it, brainstorm ways to combat it, and even document it. Hollaback! was co founded by Emily May and chapters are spreading throughout the world – from India to Spain, and all over the U.S. You can tell your story of harassment via mobile technology, sharing and documenting and bringing awareness to this pervasive social plague.
In this case, it’s all about strength in numbers. If girls and women all pull together and collectively reject the harassment that goes on every day around the world, we can change it! After all, every one of those whistlers and cat-callers has a mother, sister, girlfriend, wife, or daughter that could stop them in their inappropriate and hurtful tracks. So HOLLABACK! Tell the world how YOU want to be treated.
Here’s what Hollaback! says about their organization:
Hollaback!is a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology. Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from “You’d look good on me” to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. But it is rarely reported, and it’s culturally acceptedas ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay. At Hollaback!, we don’t buy it.
We believe that everyone has a right to feel safe and confident without being objectified. Sexual harassment is a gateway crime that creates a cultural environment that makes gender-based violence OK. There exists a clear legal framework to reproach sexual harassment and abuse in the home and at work, but when it comes to the streets—all bets are off. This gap isn’t because street harassment hurts any less, it’s because there hasn’t been a solution. Until now. The explosion of mobile technology has given us an unprecedented opportunity to end street harassment—and with it, the opportunity to take on one of the final new frontiers for women’s rights around the world.
By collecting women and LGBTQ folks’ stories and pictures in a safe and share-able way with our very own mobile phone applications, Hollaback! is creating a crowd-sourced initiative to end street harassment. Hollaback! breaks the silence that has perpetuated sexual violence internationally, asserts that any and all gender-based violence is unacceptable, and creates a world where we have an option—and, more importantly—a response.