Imagine this, you're walking down the street in your favorite outfit feeling as confident as ever and then, suddenly, you're hollered by a man beside you or from across the street telling you how hot or fine you look. You no longer feel comfortable in what you're wearing because of his demeaning compliment. Obviously, you spend the day thinking of the unpleasant encounter you had and you think about heading back home to change. Men, boys should not make comments about women or girls on the street because it can vary as sexual harassment, it can make women self conscious of themselves and women can be offended by these comments.
Consequently, men commenting on women can vary as sexual harassment because of what the man might say to her. A man can comment on the woman's body or just their face, and the way they approach it can be seen as sexual in the way he says it making the women uncomfortable. When men comment on women on the street it does not mean it's a compliment only if the woman accept this, if not it is classified as sexual harassment. A woman dressed in dark clothes and minimal makeup walks around New York City for ten hours and still receives 100 plus “compliments” all ranging from ‘Damn’ and ‘You should be thankful he called you beautiful.’ During the video she was prohibited from saying anything in response to these approaches
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The offensive compliments can vary from a simple ‘How's your day’ and ‘How are you doing.’ You might be wondering why those can be offensive well it's because if a woman does not believe that a man does not actually care for what he is asking then it can be offensive. Also a man wouldn't be interested in their day if he's yelling this “compliment” from across the street or simply walking past her. A point often overlooked, offensive compliments are many and vary widely depending on how they are said and the way the are perceived by the women who receive
In the movie Precious the scene where she is catcalled by a group of men on the street. This is a gender microaggression because it fulfills a theme of what we know as sexual objectification. Even when you think it’s a compliment, it can still be offensive.
Sexism is very prevalent in society today. Women are often not seen as wives or girlfriends but more of as a personal maid or sex object to men attracted to her. Men value the looks of a female before anything else. If a woman is dressed more revealing than another there will be more men that get the idea that she’s not the person she actually is. This leads to more sexual harassment between men and women that is often to be thought of as the female 's fault. An example of this when women are cat called on the street and feel ashamed of their appearance but if it was a man in the situation it would be odd. The female is often made to think that she is the one who promoted these advances on herself as evidenced by Bonnie Tsui in “The Undress Code”. The female within the story believes that a sweater that had no sexual intention to it was perceived as the wrong way by a former co-worker which lead to the constant stalking of the female. She did nothing to promote these activities because she did not feel that way towards the man at
In the essay, “You Are What You Say”, by Robin Lakoff, she explains how certain words can be used to degrade an individual. Lakoff makes clear that a girl is someone “. . . who is . . . too immature and too far from real life to be entrusted with responsibilities or with decisions of any serious or important nature” (Lakoff, “You Are What You Say”, pg.3). A girl is someone who cannot be taken seriously. A girl is simply incapable of running a women’s errand, because they are incredibly immature. Yet, women are still referred to as girls, since calling someone a woman is “embarrassing”. She also elaborates on being called a “lady” and how that is degrading as well. She used the example of calling a woman doctor a “lady doctor”, which is extremely degrading since no one calls a man doctor a “gentleman doctor”. Being called a “lady” also implies that she is helpless and not someone to be taken seriously. So, language can and is used to degrade
Females have to dress like a man, act like a man, and be like a man; to get a “man’s” job.
Gender discrimination is the action of being treated worse than others, simply because of your gender. It can occur once or continually over time, by the opposite or same sex. It is an illegal practice here in the United States, based on laws enacted in 1963-4.
Mallett, R, Stangor, C, Swim, J.K. (2004). Understanding subtle sexism; Detection and Use of Sexist Language. Behavioural Science Sex Roles, 51(3/4) 117-128.
Perhaps they didn 't like the way this person was dressed or maybe they thought that maybe the strangeness of this person was threatening. While these may be some valid reasons, the root of the issue with street harassment is misogyny. That is defined as the hatred of women. In this video, specifically, the problem is trans misogyny. Trans misogyny means the negative attitudes towards trans women and trans and gender non-conforming people on the feminine end of the gender spectrum (CITE). Simply put, trans misogyny is the hatred of the feminine ,which is not experienced, only by women. In "America Reflexx", people were not sure of the gender of the person walking the street, but knew this person identified with feminine traits. They knew this because this person wore a dress and heels. This elicited an extreme amount of hatred by these people. While many of these harassers were women, the issue is still trans misogyny. Women can be as guilty as men when it comes to misogyny of trans misogyny. If a woman has a hatred for specific women or those acting in a feminine role due to them not behaving in a certain way then they too are a misogynist. For example, if these women attacking this person attacked him or her because they believe women or anyone identifying as feminine must dress and behave in a certain way, they are misogynists. The reason behind this line of thought is that these same women would not have
How would you feel if your son or daughter came home quiet as can be with tears in their eyes and bruises on their face and them walking solemly. How would you feel later finding out they were assaulted and had been raped? You would want to do something about it wouldnt you. But we stand by and push accusations under the rug of sexual assault. We stand by and watch as young girls we dont know are sexually harrased and assaulted and do nothing.
Do people know when and how to report Sexual Harassment? Why do you think some people never report it? There are many different types of Sexual Harassment like sexual abuse in men and women, sexual abuse in the military, workplace, colleges and almost everywhere. It is a huge problem everywhere and the issue isn 't brought up as much because it isn 't reported or people who are behind the assault scare victims into believing that they will be in trouble or are embarrassed. Once more women and men start reporting or even just informing more people of what is sexual harassment is, that way they know how and when to report it.
Women are also more likely to be victims of sexual assault and rape by male perpetrators, which are other more severe forms of sexual discrimination, and are more often performed by people the victims know, such as coworkers and supervisors, rather than strangers (Matlin, 2012, pg. 425). This phenomenon is referred to as “acquaintance rape” and often occurs, because as the differences in communication explains, men are more likely to perceive others as being seductive, which can also explain why they are more likely to invite sexual activity in the workplace, especially men who have negative ideas about women (Matlin, 2012, pg. 427). These men are also more likely to abuse their power on the job, and exploit the lesser power of the female employees.
In an advertisement published in Vogue Paris in February 2009, Steven Klein photographs fashion model Lara Stone in a manner that brought much controversy to the world about women and violence. In the photograph, a fashionably clad woman in lingerie is forcibly held down by a naked man, while a police officer poses suggestively on her legs and points a gun in her face. This advertisement seems excessively violent for a fashion magazine that young girls and the majority of the mainstream world idolize. By condoning and making the type of violence that is popular in fashion magazines ‘cool’, people begin to recreate the scenes in these photographs in real life because they are constantly exposed to it. Furthermore, this constant exposure to violence
Gender discrimination has been happening for a very long period of time throughout history. Although it has improved throughout the years, many people are still being discriminated due to their gender. Sex or gender discrimination is defined as “individuals treated differently in their employment specifically because an individual is a woman or man” (“Sex/Gender Discrimination”). Many gender discriminations happen at work places and deal with salaries, work positions, and being hired or promoted. Sex discrimination come in many different forms such as sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, work situations, and employment policies (“Sex Based”). According to statistics provided by the Nation Bureau of Economic Research and the Institute
Ding! That’s the sound of the oven going off, signaling that the cookies are done. Wait, where is the oven mitt? Oh NO! The cookies, they’re burning, hurry! Hurry! OOPS, too late. One cannot simply be a female and let cookies burn, can she? Yes, she can. Throughout history women have been oppressed and confined to the kitchen and the house. Women who sought to get rights were seen as radicals and sometimes even blacklisted from their jobs for protesting. Since ancient times, women had served as the caretakers of the home, children, and husband, getting nothing in return. Society had made it an expectation that women had to be married at a certain age and at times, not even finish their education. It was frowned upon if a woman wished to do more, such as get a job, or not get married at all. During the late 1800s to the 1900s women’s rights activists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, to name a few, had stepped up and fought for women’s rights to vote and be heard as a valid voice. This had been the first step towards feminism and equality. After women were given the right to vote, there was given the issue of whether women should have a place in everyday society. They were
it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general. Both
Sexual Harassment/Assault is a growing issue in the U.S. In this paper I will highlight the meaning of sexual harassment, some of the signs, behavior theories, and concepts of being sexually harassed. The history of sexual harassment dates back to slave days when it didn’t really have a meaning or name but women activist were protesting against it. I will explore the statistics of sexual harassment and how it occurs more common in women. Also I will connect my personal experiences as a teenager dealing with my sister being sexually harassed at her first job. Research shows that women are more affected by being sexually harassed or abused especially when it happens at their job. They find it more difficult to carry on after they have been harassed and to move on comfortably. This issue usually has a more long term effect on women then it would have on men. Men are usually the ones who initiate any sexual act that’s going to take place. Therefore it’s more common to find that the men are harassing the women not saying it’s never vice versa but women are shown more in my research. My personal experiences aren’t exactly direct but it gave me a firsthand view on how this issue is sometimes hard to recognize but very prominent in society today. Studies show that being sexually harassed can effect and devastate your psychological health, physical well-being and vocational development. Therefore it’s better to be aware of the history, and behavioral concepts of this issue to avoid it from happening to you.