Media Advocacy Project: Street Harassment
Did you know street harassment is an under-researched, but likely prevalent experience for many New Yorkers?. I experience it myself all the time where I live in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Audience: Males in New York City.
What is street harassment?
According to The Advocates for Human Rights, street harassment are “unwelcome or unwanted verbal, non-verbal, physical or visual conduct based on sex or of a sexual nature which occurs with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person.” It can also be based on race, disability, class, gender identity, or other social identities, and serves to remind marginalized populations of our vulnerability to assault in public space.
Inspiration:
Unfortunately most existing campaigns target women or don't get men's attention. Therefore I would like to make men feel how women feel when we get catcalled. According to stopharassment.org:
“Many men need to be taught specific messages about street harassment so that they understand why women do not like it and so they will be more likely to stop or never engage in the behavior. One barrier to men understanding the inappropriateness of street harassment is male privilege, which can keep men from realizing or understanding women’s point of view and make them defensive when the topic is brought up. Getting them to view street harassment from a woman’s perspective is an important part of educating men about street harassment. Or, putting the scenario in a framework that is understandable to men can help them better understand it, too. For example, asking men how they would like it if other men who were larger than them regularly interrupted them to tell them to smile, comment on their looks and body parts, ask for their name, touch them, follow them, or start masturbating in front of them.?"
Sketches
I explored different ideas hoping to get men’s attention. I started with making a list of most common catcalls I can use, and a list of appropriate and inappropriate actions. My first three design ideas were:
- Funny meme that would make guys reflect on how different people might seem catcalling versus how women really feel.
- A sticker or pin that men would be proud to wear.
- A picture of a woman’s t-shit with a common catcall and some smaller text of how men would feel if that were them.
The thinking process of where I wanted the graphic to be displayed helped me pick an Ad on the New York busses. An ad that displayed multiple men catcalling another man who is annoyed, scared, and/or afraid.
