What It Is Like To Walk Alone The Streets Of New York City As A Woman

As a man, I have never really experienced any form of street harassment, a common occurrence for a large number of women in any community. Truthfully, I never really "got" the problem. I mean, someone who compliments you on the street is doing just that, complimenting you, and that's a good thing right? After seeing the video below, I started to grasp the issue, and what a problem streetcalling really is for women in modern society.

Titled "10 Hours of Walking In NYC as a Woman," the 2-minute film is exactly that, with 24-year-old Shoshana B Roberts recorded by a hidden camera as she walks the streets of New York City. In the span of 10 hours Roberts received over 100 comments "complimenting" her physical appearance, winks, whistles, and other non-verbal signals notwithstanding.

The video was created as a means to demonstrate the prevalent issue of "catcalling" by Hollaback! a non-profit movement to end street harassment. And the film succeeds. You truly see how uncomfortable, and more importantly, how unsafe, the comments from random strangers made Roberts feel, with her being a stand-in for the many women who experience the same thing each and every day.

See the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A