Hidden GoPro camera reveals what it's like to walk through NYC as a woman.

BLTN said:
I couldn't agree more.

Some of the guys may be crass and have no style, and others are downright rude. But this is from TEN HOURS of walking and she has just cherrypicked the 1.5 minutes of footage that shows what she wants it to show.

And some of the comments in this thread are ridiculous.

How the hell is trying to pick up someone on the street gender inequality, sexism or harassment? Are guys not allowed to express an interest in someone these days? Is a guy not allowed to go up and try to talk to someone they find attractive?

PS. I should take a video of me walking around in gym wear for 10 hours - I guarantee you I could make 1.5 minutes worth of footage out it. If a girl stares at me or says something, I do not consider it sexism, harassment or gender inequality!
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That shows that a guy stalked her for 5 minutes. That people yelled at her to smile. That someone got aggressive when she wouldn't acknowledge that he called her beautiful. I feel like that footage, collected all in one day, shows plenty, even if it only runs for 90 seconds.

Guys can talk to someone they find attractive, however there needs to be a balance between politely and respectfully expressing interest and yelling at people when they walk past.

It's not ok because most women do not find it ok. They do not like it or appreciate it at all, no matter how generous the guy thinks he's being by letting the girl know he thinks she's attractive. :rolleyes:
 
Nemo30 said:
Saw this recently - if woman catcalled men
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I have had women:

- whistle at me
- yell things from passing cars
- grab my butt
- put their hand on my leg
- had women approach me on the street

Never considered it 'harrassment'. This may blow some peoples' minds, but we're (both men and women) adults who are perfectly capable of handling these situations. This is just the latest in a long line of examples of the fembots attempting to place women in a 'perma-victim' role, where they are too weak to handle themselves or the situation and expect men to accomodate them.

Well, tough luck! Over here, far away from Femi-La-La-Land, the rest of live in the Real World, where people do things that may make someone else feel uncomfortable. This is one of those issues where the Brad Pitt Rule comes in to effect. The Brad Pitt Rule works thusly: If Brad Pitt approached you, would you consider it harrassment? If the answer is no, then it's not harrassment. You (women) don't get to decide what is and isn't harrassment based on your feels and how attractive you think the guy is.
 
Mr Fab - did you watch the video I posted? It was a joke.

Also should point out that I feel pretty equal. I dont get harassed and believe I have equal opportunities. Maybe women didnt 30 years ago, but times have changed.
 
Mr. Fabulous said:
I have had women:

- whistle at me
- yell things from passing cars
- grab my butt
- put their hand on my leg
- had women approach me on the street

Never considered it 'harrassment'. This may blow some peoples' minds, but we're (both men and women) adults who are perfectly capable of handling these situations. This is just the latest in a long line of examples of the fembots attempting to place women in a 'perma-victim' role, where they are too weak to handle themselves or the situation and expect men to accomodate them.

Well, tough luck! Over here, far away from Femi-La-La-Land, the rest of live in the Real World, where people do things that may make someone else feel uncomfortable. This is one of those issues where the Brad Pitt Rule comes in to effect. The Brad Pitt Rule works thusly: If Brad Pitt approached you, would you consider it harrassment? If the answer is no, then it's not harrassment. You (women) don't get to decide what is and isn't harrassment based on your feels and how attractive you think the guy is.
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That's great that you haven't felt threatened by those gestures. But as I have mentioned, as is evident in the reddit thread, and by people who have messaged me on here, women do feel threatened. They don't like it. They do consider it harassment. So why not just stop doing it?

What do you mean they're too weak to handle the situation and so they want us to accommodate them? They're not too weak, they just want you to **** off and stop doing it. I can't believe men have a problem with women asking not to be yelled at on the street.

Brad Pitt Rule reworked: If one man gets to touch you, we all get to touch you. Your consent and opinion does not matter.
 
Nemo30 said:
Mr Fab - did you watch the video I posted? It was a joke.

Also should point out that I feel pretty equal. I dont get harassed and believe I have equal opportunities. Maybe women didnt 30 years ago, but times have changed.
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Nemo, I wasn't having a go at you, I understood the meaning of your post, just expanded on it.

It's like in the video link I posted. How to avoid a sexual harrassment complaint:

- Be handsome
- Be attractive
- Don't be unattractive
 
There's a difference between paying a woman a compliment and harassing her, unfortunately some men can't tell the difference.

I definitely don't take the standard feminist stance when it comes to cat calling. I actually like it and take it for the compliment it's usually meant. I tend to be quite critical about my appearance so if a man says something nice, I think 'oh well, I can't be all that bad'.

Sometimes men will shout out from their car and this doesn't bother me, it usually makes me smile. Sometimes a man will say something as I walk by and I usually smile shyly and say hi but keep walking and most men are pleased with the exchange.

However, when it gets to the point of him following or becoming angry/aggressive, then it does become harassment. This can be observed several times in the video.

Pretty much all 'persistent' men back off if I tell them I'm married and I'm sure the ones in the video would have been much the same. The thing is, a woman shouldn't really have to justify why she doesn't want to chitchat or smile, it shouldn't matter if she's single or not.

It's one thing to cat call, it's quite another to demand she respond in the 'appropriate' manner. No women should have to smile or chitchat on command.

You never know crazy a stranger is so when a stranger starts following you, you naturally feel intimidated. He may see the exchange as innocent, but she's likely fearing for her safety. Situations can escalate very quickly, it isn't cute.
 
Television said:
Oh, so then it's ok if it occurs in Manhattan? Which you could argue is just about the economic/political/cultural/social capital of the world?

Or is it ok to be harassed because they're "attracting attention"?

In the reddit thread I posted, the director of the video comments and described the way they hid the camera, I doubt that people were noticing the tiny little lens and thus deciding to tell the girl behind the person with the camera to smile...

I used a GoPro chest mount, worn backwards, with a black t shirt that had a hole cut that fit snuggly around the lense. I then wore a bright yellow backpack under the camera to distract the eyes, and dressed like I was just walking to the gym.

I told her to stay within 5-10 ft, I set the pace, and one of her jobs was to maintain that distance.
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Was the pace setting camera woman also taunted? :confused:

This is a highly selective and edited piece. I was also whistled at on Santa Monica Blvd numerous times whilst staying in West Hollywood and it was by my own gender cohort. I think it made my wife a little jealous :p

The woman in the video is brusque and looks aloof to all of the friendly salutations she received. There were of course a couple of creepy lingering types however I reckon they would have tagged a male as well a female. There are strange, rude and inappropriate types everywhere. I doubt they discriminate. The advances and jibes made to a male from a male may be different than those directed to a woman, however there will always be stupid people somewhere in our travels.
 
Player, the whole premise behind the 'street harrassment' phenomenon is this:

'Only men that I find attractive should be allowed to approach me and only when I am in the mood to be approached. Guys that approach me that I am not attracted to are automatically creepy and need to be shamed for committing the heinous crime of acting on their desires.

All men should automatically know, at all times, which guys I am attracted to and which guys I am not and act accordingly. I should not be expected to show any signs of whom I am attracted to, all men should at all times be able to read my mind and know exactly how I am feeling and what I am thinking.

I further reserve the right to change my mind on a whim and label a guy whom I was previously attracted to as instantly creepy after he commits a tiny mistake or inadvertently says something silly.'
 
Mr. Fabulous said:
Player, the whole premise behind the 'street harrassment' phenomenon is this:

'Only men that I find attractive should be allowed to approach me and only when I am in the mood to be approached. Guys that approach me that I am not attracted to are automatically creepy and need to be shamed for committing the heinous crime of acting on their desires.

All men should automatically know, at all times, which guys I am attracted to and which guys I am not and act accordingly. I should not be expected to show any signs of whom I am attracted to, all men should at all times be able to read my mind and know exactly how I am feeling and what I am thinking.

I further reserve the right to change my mind on a whim and label a guy whom I was previously attracted to as instantly creepy after he commits a tiny mistake or inadvertently says something silly.'
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What a load of cobblers. I don't think you know many "normal" women and seem to be so bitter about women in general.
 
Mr. Fabulous said:
I have had women:whistle at me; grab my butt. - put their hand on my leg
Never considered it 'harrassment'. This may blow some peoples' minds, but we're (both men and women) adults who are perfectly capable of handling these situations.

Well, tough luck! Over here, far away from Femi-La-La-Land, the rest of live in the Real World, where people do things that may make someone else feel uncomfortable. .
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It's very different when you're on the receiving end of this treatment and the physical strength isn't matched. You felt fine because you could defend yourself. Most women cannot defend themselves physically from a man who decides to give her a belt if he doesn't like her response to his advances..

Over time we have developed strategies to cope with this kind of behaviour, but because we coped didn't make it okay. In my 20s I had male supervisors, one of whom would leave magazines of women dressed in rubber for me to find on his desk. When I had to go downstairs to do some work, he would say, 'Are you ready to go down?' I toughened up because I had no alternative. Could I have told him that I found him offensive. Sure. Would that have helped me in my job? No. I had another supervisor who kept pictures of naked women in front of his desk. Did I like it? No. Did I say anything? No. I ignored it. I was there to do my job and to prove myself, which is what I did. But I am really happy that I don't have to put up with these things nowadays, and I'm glad that my daughters will not have to put up with it.

You can't judge what is offensive to the opposite sex until you've walked a mile in their shoes. Dr Ben Barres is a transgender scientist. He has spoken extensively about how differently he has been treated as a man and the sexism that exists in the scientific community. At his first seminar as a man Dr Barres gave a speech, at which a scientist commented that 'Dr Barres is much better than his sister'. For all of you who don't believe in sexism, perhaps you will listen to Dr Barres.
 
Mr. Fabulous said:
Player, the whole premise behind the 'street harrassment' phenomenon is this:

'Only men that I find attractive should be allowed to approach me and only when I am in the mood to be approached. Guys that approach me that I am not attracted to are automatically creepy and need to be shamed for committing the heinous crime of acting on their desires.

All men should automatically know, at all times, which guys I am attracted to and which guys I am not and act accordingly. I should not be expected to show any signs of whom I am attracted to, all men should at all times be able to read my mind and know exactly how I am feeling and what I am thinking.

I further reserve the right to change my mind on a whim and label a guy whom I was previously attracted to as instantly creepy after he commits a tiny mistake or inadvertently says something silly.'
Click to expand...

No, it's about my choice. I choose to whom I speak and whom I allow to touch me. Simple really. We women grow up knowing that we have limitations; that we will often come second; that we're not that strong; we are used to being told no. Unfortunately, some men feel entitled; they are used to coming first and getting what they want; they think that because they want it they should have it. They think that a 'no' is a veiled yes, because they simply cannot countenance any form of perceived rejection.

What I am trying to say is this: it's not all about what YOU want.
 
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Mr. Fabulous said:
Player, the whole premise behind the 'street harrassment' phenomenon is this:

'Only men that I find attractive should be allowed to approach me and only when I am in the mood to be approached. Guys that approach me that I am not attracted to are automatically creepy and need to be shamed for committing the heinous crime of acting on their desires.

All men should automatically know, at all times, which guys I am attracted to and which guys I am not and act accordingly. I should not be expected to show any signs of whom I am attracted to, all men should at all times be able to read my mind and know exactly how I am feeling and what I am thinking.

I further reserve the right to change my mind on a whim and label a guy whom I was previously attracted to as instantly creepy after he commits a tiny mistake or inadvertently says something silly.'
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but I think this is rubbish. I don't dispute that women might enjoy attention from men they are attracted to and not from those they're not attracted to, I believe on the whole, most women would simply prefer to be left alone by men they don't know.

There's also far more appropriate ways for men to approach women they find attractive. Walking down the street is not an appropriate venue for a self proclaimed pickup artist to give it a shot. (Seriously, does anyone actually think this would work?)

I don't think this video is entirely about sexism, men or women, etc. It's about harassment and the simple reality is that many women tend to be harassed in this manner by men. Another form of harassment is having people constantly asking for a few dollars; it happens in some parts of the Melbourne CBD. When traveling in some parts of Europe I was constantly approached by kids trying to pickpocket. After a while I wanted to punch them, even the cute ones.
 
Mr. Fabulous said:
Player, the whole premise behind the 'street harrassment' phenomenon is this:

'Only men that I find attractive should be allowed to approach me and only when I am in the mood to be approached. Guys that approach me that I am not attracted to are automatically creepy and need to be shamed for committing the heinous crime of acting on their desires.

All men should automatically know, at all times, which guys I am attracted to and which guys I am not and act accordingly. I should not be expected to show any signs of whom I am attracted to, all men should at all times be able to read my mind and know exactly how I am feeling and what I am thinking.

I further reserve the right to change my mind on a whim and label a guy whom I was previously attracted to as instantly creepy after he commits a tiny mistake or inadvertently says something silly.'
Click to expand...

Well, do you like to be approached, groped, talked, yelled by a scary creepy man/ woman? I don't think neither gender would like that chance :confused:
 
EN710 said:
Well, do you like to be approached, groped, talked, yelled by a scary creepy man/ woman? I don't think neither gender would like that chance :confused:
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which sort of shows that it's got nothing to do with sexism, but is plain rudeness.

the simple test is: if you were approached on the street by your favorite actor of the opposite sex (or same sex for gay people) and he said hello to you, would you feel harassed or not?

somehow i think that in 99.9999999% of the cases the answer would be no
 
Can't believe I just read this whole thread, if it's such a big issue why don't you get out from behind your computer, out in the streets and do something about it?
 
EN710 said:
Well, do you like to be approached, groped, talked, yelled by a scary creepy man/ woman? I don't think neither gender would like that chance :confused:
Click to expand...

Depends what you define as 'scary/creepy'. I don't mind it, but then I'm an adult and handle it like an adult.

Actually, no wait, one time I was waiting at the lights to cross the road and this one broad hung out the window of a car and wolf whistled at me. So I turned around started doing a sexy dance.
 

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