FAQ

There are probably many questions you  have about Hollaback, so here are a few of the most common. It’s been put together with the help of the entire Hollaback network. If there is something else not covered here? please email wy@ihollaback.org

 

“OK, but what exactly is street harassment?”

Street harassment is a form of sexual harassment that takes place in public spaces. At its core is a power dynamic that constantly reminds historically subordinated groups (women and LGBTQ people, for example) of their vulnerability to assault in public spaces. Further, it reinforces the ubiquitous sexual objectification of these groups in everyday life. At Hollaback!, we believe that what specifically counts as street harassment is determined by those who experience it. While there is always the classic, “Hey Love, nice tits!”, there are many other forms that go unnoted. If you feel like you have been harassed, HOLLABACK!

 

“What does “Hollaback” mean?”

Hollaback! is all about your right to be you: a person who never has to take it or just keep walking. Someone who knows that she has the right to define herself on the street instead of being defined by someone elses point of view. Because none of us are as simple as a list of physical attributes. We have a right to be who we are, not who we are told to be. We have a right to define ourselves on our own terms when we walk out the door, whatever that means that day. That hour. That minute.

Started in NYC by Emily May, the blog format allowing women and women-identified people to share their experiences has grown into a global movement based on confident responses and mounting a worldwide challenges to harassment of every kind.

PS. You’d do well to ignore this interpretation as its a different, totally irrelevant meaning (if BBC  can get caught out by it, so can you!)

 

 

“Why don’t you just take it as a compliment?”

Because street harassment has nothing to do with compliments or flirting, and everything to do with power, and abusing that power. If a comment (however it was recieved: shouted across the street, whispered in your ear..) makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s not a compliment, and you’ve no need to ‘take it’ as such. You weren’t there, she was. The idea that it’s okay to make a comment on appreciating a person’s appearance in a public place to us just reduces women to bodies parts; market produce on display. It’s not okay.

 

“Some of the other Hollaback sites include images of harassers. Why not yours?”

HollabackNYC and many other Hollaback sites make brilliant use of ‘caught out there’ pics of harassers. However, the law on taking pictures of people in public is different and every country, and in the UK we feel that culturally encouraging women (who might already be in a vulnerable position after an incident) to take a picture of the culprit might put her in further danger. That said, if you do feel you want to include any kind of image with your post, e.g. one of the area in which your harassment happened, do feel free – you can upload them with your Holla.

 

 Isn’t street harassment the price you pay for living in a city?

No, higher band Council tax is the price you pay for living in a city. We would love to see some portion of our local taxes go towards preventing street harassment, but alas, they don’t. In fact, street harassment is not confined to urban areas. It occurs in shopping centres, cars, car parks, public parks, airplanes, fast-food restaurants, petrol stations, and numerous other public spaces.

 

But isn’t street harassment a cultural thing?

Street harassers occupy the full spectrum of class, race, and nationality. Sexual harassment, and street harassment specifically, is resisted by people around the globe: Hollaback! receives e-mails of support and solidarity from numerous countries and from every continent. To condense another’s culture into vague assumptions about who and what they are is to generalise dangerously about a wide range of experiences and perspectives that exist within any one given culture.

 

I am a man who was recently sexually objectified by a woman on the street. I think this is reverse harassment. Why won’t you post my story?

While a woman making unsolicited sexual remarks to a man is certainly conceivable, the power dynamics of such an encounter are very different in a society where women comprise a historically subordinated group. Hollaback! is a project dedicated to combating a particular form of violence that designates subordinated groups (such as women and LGBTQ people, for example) as targets in public spaces or otherwise vulnerable to unsolicited, nonconsensual encounters with strangers. It is thus not a forum for reporting other unpleasantries. If you are a man and want further advice or help the following websites are a good starting point for signposting and support,

www.mensadviceline.org.uk
 www.respect.uk.net

 

 “How related are all the sites?”

We now work on the same platform (ihollaback.org) but are still autonomous

 

 “Can I interview you?”

Sure, send us an email at wy@ihollaback.org