Sick of street harassment in her neighborhood, Tatayana Fazlalizadeh has been plastering an important message around the city of Brooklyn: Stop harassing women on the streets. We don’t want it. It is offensive. We are not obligated to give men our time or attention
Some men, of course, still don’t believe street harassment is an issue.
Anthony Williams, a featured interviewee, believes street harassment is what he is “supposed” to do. It is his right to try to “acquire” an attractive woman he sees. He can say what he pleases to her in hopes of her reciprocation.
These are the men Tatayana Fazlalizadeh is targeting with her socially conscious art.
Interestingly though, one of the most upvoted comments on this article, by a man, asserts that all men are not like Anthony Williams. But Tatayana isn’t targeting the “good guys” out there. So why is such a comment relevant?
Of course, not all men think they are supposed to harass women about their appearances. And not all men believe women are objects to be acquired.
To those men who wouldn’t think of partaking in street harassment, we sincerely appreciate it. We are glad that you are disgusted that others of your gender would be so inconsiderate and offensive. But this article isn’t directed at you.
Men shouldn’t feel the need to rally in defense of their gender when issues such as street harassment arise. Those who do so make this mistake are diverting attention from the issue at hand.
It is easy to dismiss a social concern by claiming that it isn’t ubiquitous enough to merit the attention of the general population. But the facts are that street harassment is incredibly prevalent all over the world.
So no, not ALL men harass women on the street, but a great many do. Progress occurs when the “good guys” stop worrying about defending themselves and commit to reprimanding the guy who shouts “nice tits” at a girl walking down the street.
