In recent years, the public debate has taken hold of street harassment. Numerous studies show that it should be made a priority, since its consequences are far more serious than one might assume. The Stand Up program, created by L’Oréal Paris in partnership with the NGO Hollaback! and the Fondation des Femmes campaigns for this quest for freedom in the public space.
Instagram accounts, hashtags on Twitter … Today, there are many virtual initiatives dedicated to street harassment. A few years back: in 2015, one of the very first projects on the subject was born, the Tumblr Paye Ta Schneck. Until 2019, this initiative by activist Anaïs Bourdet recorded testimonies on the subject. Some women said that they had been hissed, called out verbally, while others had experienced even more stressful and oppressive situations. These events are far from trivial, which can have serious repercussions on the victims.
The impact of street harassment
This link has been confirmed by a published study in the scientific journal Sex Roles in January 2015. Conducted by researchers at Missouri State University, it establishes that women who have experienced street harassment were more likely to be afraid of the world around them and what might happen to them. For its part, The Independent published in November 2020 a large poll showing that in Great Britain, nearly three quarters of women are afraid to exercise when it is dark for fear of street harassment and assault, which impacts their physical health in addition to their mental health.
Because, as the Missouri State University study explains, in a situation of harassment, women suffer a sexual objectification, That is, their personality is separated from their body for one purpose: the enjoyment of others. "Our research confirms previous findings on the growing sexual objectification of women. An act of sexual terrorism that may increase women's fears of facing physical and sexual attack," explains Laurel Watson, one of the scientists who carried out this work. And being a woman is not the only factor of oppression: skin color also plays a role, for those who will find themselves at the crossroads of several discriminatory factors.
When racism is added to sexism
To establish this result, the researchers surveyed female students. Among them, 133 African-American women and 95 white women, who answered a series of questions about being sexually objectified, such as "Do you often get hissed when walking down the street?". They were also asked about their feelings of fear regarding rape, their perception of the risk of crime, and their general feeling of depression or anxiety.
After analyzing the results, it turns out that African American women are more prone to sexual objectification. They are also more afraid of being a victim of crime and are psychologically more affected than white women. It is therefore time to tackle the problem head-on, to stem its negative impact on women's mental health.
Concrete initiatives
Today, while street harassment is finally at the heart of conversations about gender inequalities, the problem persists. How to deal with such situations? What practical and easy-to-implement solutions, women and men? It is essential to support women who experience street harassment, but also those who witness it. Stand Up against street harassment, an awareness and training program created by L’Oréal Paris in partnership with the NGO Hollaback! and the Women's Foundation is campaigning on the subject and offers concrete training to know how to intervene as a witness with victims of street harassment, through simple gestures to defuse these situations in which we do not always know how to act. Fundamental work, so that this phenomenon is finally eradicated.
Do you want to learn how to react when you are a witness or victim of street harassment? You can discover the 5D method directly on this Stand Up site here.