Have you ever been walking down the road minding your business and had someone toot their horn at you or yell out something charming like “show us your tits!”? 

Well, you’re not alone. This is an example of street harassment, and unfortunately it’s really common.

Street harassment is when someone you don’t know says something or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable in a public place. It could be saying something sleazy to you, staring at you, invading your personal space, touching you, honking their car horn, or yelling out their car window. Street harassment is a form of sexual harassment, and it can make you feel pretty bad when it happens.

Harassment can be different things to different people, but basically if you feel uncomfortable or offended by someone’s behaviour, that’s street harassment and it’s not okay. Remember that no one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe when you’re walking down the street or catching the train to school.

So why does it happen? 

Basically, harassers (who are usually men) think that this kind of behaviour is okay because they are privileged, and wrongfully use that privilege to objectify, bully, and fetishise others. As white, cisgender, heterosexual men typically don’t experience harassment like women, people of colour, and LGBTQIA+ folk do, they can develop a sense of entitlement over others. Street harassment has a lot to do with power, which means it usually affects the most marginalised people.

Street harassment also happens because women and feminine-presenting folk are sexually objectified in our society. ‘Sexual objectification’ is largely based on the idea that women aren’t people with feelings, ideas, or a will of their own, and that they simply exist for the entertainment and pleasure of others. Because of this, they are treated like ‘objects’. 

This is a result of the patriarchy, where women have historically been seen as the property of their fathers and husbands, and very rarely held positions of power. Nowadays women continue to be sexually objectified in the media, which only encourages men to sexually objectify them in real life. 

Take this Snickers advertisement for example, it not only normalises street harassment, but says that men who stand up against misogyny aren’t themselves. 

Because men grow up being told they have more power and it’s okay to sexually objectify others, they think they can stare at, comment on or touch women and LGBTQIA+ folk they don’t know. Harassers don’t even consider how intimidating and creepy it is, or how it might make people feel.

Why intersectionality matters when addressing street harassment 

It’s really important to consider intersectionality when talking about street harassment, as it isn’t experienced in the same way by all women and LGBTQIA+ folk. For example, women of colour often experience street harassment that is racialised. As Angelica Ojjinaka, a youth activist born in Australia of Nigerian heritage explains:

“You get certain comments related to being of African appearance and having ‘unique features’ and ‘cool hair’. Unfortunately, people randomly touch your hair or make comments that are a bit questionable… it’s only afterwards that you think, ‘Hang on, that was not OK’.”

In this example, Anjelica is experiencing racism and sexism at the same time. This is why it’s important to address street harassment through an intersectional lens. 

Queer women and feminine-presenting people also experience unique forms of street harassment. For example, visibly queer people can be yelled at in public spaces, and sadly queer couples can feel unsafe expressing affection due to nasty comments being thrown around. It is quite common for men to fetishise lesbians and queer couples, which makes victims feel isolated and othered. 

As youth activist and queer woman Imogen Senior explains:

“Slurs have been yelled at me and people have been calling me really horrific things when I display affection in public spaces… it changed whether I can show affection in public spaces and be overtly queer in public spaces.”

Sexual harassment has hugely damaging consequences. It can lower our sense of self-worth, damage our physical and mental health, make us feel uncomfortable or anxious when going about our day, and further entrench inequality in society. By learning about what it looks like, why it exists, and how it affects individuals in unique ways, we can begin to identify and understand it. 

To find out how you can best deal with street harassment or support someone else in that situation, click here.

Further resources you can access 

If you’re feeling worried or concerned about street harassment, talk to someone about it. This can be a friend, trusted adult or a school counsellor. Check out any of these free confidential services:

• Kids Helpline is a free, private, and confidential phone and online counselling service specifically for young people in Australia. 
• Eheadspace offers free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 – 25 and their families and friends. 
• Beyond blue offers free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 24/7. You can also anonymously connect with others who might be experiencing similar things to you.
• Reachout is a safe online space to connect with others. PeerChat is a safe anonymous place for young people.