Owned.
My official response to this piece of mess:Monday's Hilltop featured an editorial titled "Vulnerability Leads to Unfortunate Events". Overall, I agreed with many of the points, especially the question of, "Why anyone on Howard's campus think it is okay to walk alone after nightfall?" Most would agree that a city like Washington D.C. is hardly prized for its safety. However, I was rubbed the wrong way to the core by the notion that women essentially "ask for" sexual harassment due to their choice in clothing. The editorial stated, "…female students are often guilty of another serious offense--strutting through the streets of Washington, D.C. in badly chosen attire. Your skintight mini-dress, complete with flashy make-up and four inch club [heels] are not appropriate for a midnight walk to Meridian from the club shuttle outside the Quad...If walking through the streets in seductive club attire isn't a blatant call for sexual harassment, then nothing is." This statement is oozing with victim blaming, and strengthens the "she asked for it" mentality. The mindset is … a woman who gets raped walking down the street wearing a skirt at mid-thigh is asking for it. I find this attitude deeply disturbing, especially when subscribed to by women.
Disregarding the feminist/womanist elements of this debate, I believe the belief that attire is a “blatant call for sexual harassment” is fundamentally flawed to begin with. Coming to D.C. from Los Angeles, I quickly realized how different the dynamics of the two cities were, especially regarding comments made from men on the street. Never before had I been harassed as much as I was when I arrived in D.C.: where men have approached me on the sidewalk, asked for my number, called me names, talked about parts of my body, and continued to pursue me even after I lied and said I had a boyfriend. Moreover, if their comments were ignored, insults were suddenly hurled at me like a flip of a switch with outstanding amounts of passive aggression. Just yesterday morning as I walked from CVS to my dorm, a man driving on Georgia Avenue not only honked at me when I crossed the street, but proceeded to yell crude, sexually charged statements at me as the light turned green: his head was literally hanging out the window as he drove on, continuing his remarks. My attire: jeans, a shirt, a jacket, and a heavy scarf. No mini-skirt, no flashy four inch heels. A few weeks ago I was a straight ally at the Equality March, and as I waited at the metro station for my train, a group of teenage boys approached me. Not only were they demanding I give them their number, but they even tugged on my necklace to "compliment" it and the ring leader of the group said, quite frankly, unabashed: "My friend wants to stick it in you". My attire: jeans, a dress, and a sweater. No bare legs, no skin tight ensemble. Modest clothing does not prevent sexual harassment.
Did I ask for my treatment during these two recent examples of sexual harassment? No, and neither does a woman who happens to enjoy wearing a dress of a length that doesn't hark back to the conservative fashion of the 1930s. Why are we blaming ourselves for the crude, inappropriate treatment we receive from strangers on the street? Why aren’t we, instead, asking why some men continue to think that sexual harassment is acceptable? No woman ever makes themselves a “target” to be sexually demeaned due to the length of their dress or the height of their shoes. I refuse to feel shamed for enjoying skirts and dresses with hems above the knee, and I refuse to blame myself for the inappropriate behavior of men thinking with their private parts. It is simply pathetic that despite all the strides we’ve made as women, self-blame continues to be acceptable.
In conclusion, men are not entitled to a woman’s body, and the idea that unless a woman is preventing herself from sexual harassment, men can’t be blamed for their actions is preposterous. “Vulnerability Leads to Unfortunate Events” simply emphasizes how much further we must go-as women and as a society as a whole-to end the stigma put upon women who are victims of sexual harassment.
Ashley Reese
Sophomore Print Journalism Major
My mom helped edit this a bit. She would have taken way longer and been more nitpicky if I wasn't trying to get this in by 6. She can be a hell of an editor. She says she wants to edit my first book, lolz. My dad liked it too. Anyway, hope it gets in the paper unlike the LAST TIME I tried to submit something.
Disregarding the feminist/womanist elements of this debate, I believe the belief that attire is a “blatant call for sexual harassment” is fundamentally flawed to begin with. Coming to D.C. from Los Angeles, I quickly realized how different the dynamics of the two cities were, especially regarding comments made from men on the street. Never before had I been harassed as much as I was when I arrived in D.C.: where men have approached me on the sidewalk, asked for my number, called me names, talked about parts of my body, and continued to pursue me even after I lied and said I had a boyfriend. Moreover, if their comments were ignored, insults were suddenly hurled at me like a flip of a switch with outstanding amounts of passive aggression. Just yesterday morning as I walked from CVS to my dorm, a man driving on Georgia Avenue not only honked at me when I crossed the street, but proceeded to yell crude, sexually charged statements at me as the light turned green: his head was literally hanging out the window as he drove on, continuing his remarks. My attire: jeans, a shirt, a jacket, and a heavy scarf. No mini-skirt, no flashy four inch heels. A few weeks ago I was a straight ally at the Equality March, and as I waited at the metro station for my train, a group of teenage boys approached me. Not only were they demanding I give them their number, but they even tugged on my necklace to "compliment" it and the ring leader of the group said, quite frankly, unabashed: "My friend wants to stick it in you". My attire: jeans, a dress, and a sweater. No bare legs, no skin tight ensemble. Modest clothing does not prevent sexual harassment.
Did I ask for my treatment during these two recent examples of sexual harassment? No, and neither does a woman who happens to enjoy wearing a dress of a length that doesn't hark back to the conservative fashion of the 1930s. Why are we blaming ourselves for the crude, inappropriate treatment we receive from strangers on the street? Why aren’t we, instead, asking why some men continue to think that sexual harassment is acceptable? No woman ever makes themselves a “target” to be sexually demeaned due to the length of their dress or the height of their shoes. I refuse to feel shamed for enjoying skirts and dresses with hems above the knee, and I refuse to blame myself for the inappropriate behavior of men thinking with their private parts. It is simply pathetic that despite all the strides we’ve made as women, self-blame continues to be acceptable.
In conclusion, men are not entitled to a woman’s body, and the idea that unless a woman is preventing herself from sexual harassment, men can’t be blamed for their actions is preposterous. “Vulnerability Leads to Unfortunate Events” simply emphasizes how much further we must go-as women and as a society as a whole-to end the stigma put upon women who are victims of sexual harassment.
Ashley Reese
Sophomore Print Journalism Major
My mom helped edit this a bit. She would have taken way longer and been more nitpicky if I wasn't trying to get this in by 6. She can be a hell of an editor. She says she wants to edit my first book, lolz. My dad liked it too. Anyway, hope it gets in the paper unlike the LAST TIME I tried to submit something.