Portland Hollaback! http://portlandme.ihollaback.org Ending Street Harassment in Portland, Maine! Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:40:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Try Common Courtesy. http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2013/02/22/try-common-courtesy/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2013/02/22/try-common-courtesy/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:40:10 +0000 portlandme http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=163 Continue reading →]]> I was out with some friends grabbing a drink when a man came and sat directly in between my friend and I.

Unimpressed with his pick up lines, we started talking amongst ourselves and ignoring him. He tried to spark more attention by wrapping his arms around the two of us and telling us that we were his girls for the night.

My thoughts; firstly, I’m no one’s girl- I’m my own woman. Secondly, your breath reeks of booze and I could think of a million things I’d rather do than keep this conversation of ridiculously sexist comments about what he wanted to do with us going. We all ended up leaving the bar because a bunch of his friends thought they would join the table too.

Weird thing is, if one of his friends said something, anything, to let him know it was too much or apologized to us, we would have been completely up for meeting some knew people. I don’t know why people think it’s a turn on to be sexist, but it isn’t working. For everyone’s sake try common courtesy!

]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2013/02/22/try-common-courtesy/feed/ 0 When I was in 8th grade… http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/11/13/when-i-was-in-8th-grade/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/11/13/when-i-was-in-8th-grade/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:03:38 +0000 admin http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=149 Continue reading →]]> When I was in 8th grade (a couple of years ago) there was this guy who was obsessed with me. He wouldnt leave me alone, he would look down my shirt when I was on the stairwell, he just made me feel uncomfortable. Then one night he was chatting me on facebook and he told me how messed up his life was. Not knowing what to say, i told him i was sorry i didnt know how to help, and he responded “i want you to say you will go out with me.” i told him no, and he threatened to kill himself if i didnt.

]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/11/13/when-i-was-in-8th-grade/feed/ 2 New submission from anonymous http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/10/29/new-submission-from-anonymous/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/10/29/new-submission-from-anonymous/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:28:32 +0000 admin http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/10/29/new-submission-from-anonymous/ Regardless of how you may feel about the “sexy ________” costumes that are worn by many women on Halloween (or the Saturday before it), it doesn’t give four men in a green Chevy Blazer the right to yell, “Nice ass!” to every single female they drive by.
I've got your back!
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]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/10/29/new-submission-from-anonymous/feed/ 0 the European capital’s seemingly sophisticated streets are steeped in sexism http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/08/13/the-european-capitals-seemingly-sophisticated-streets-are-steeped-in-sexism/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/08/13/the-european-capitals-seemingly-sophisticated-streets-are-steeped-in-sexism/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:18:23 +0000 portlandme http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=136 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-1Hd4HpZsw&feature=related

An honest documentary on the reality of street harassment, and how women are made to feel in certain parts of Brussels. (English subtitles)

]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/08/13/the-european-capitals-seemingly-sophisticated-streets-are-steeped-in-sexism/feed/ 0 it’s not me being harassed… but i see it and i hear it, and i think it sucks http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/07/03/its-not-me-being-harassed-but-i-see-it-and-i-hear-it-and-i-think-it-sucks/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/07/03/its-not-me-being-harassed-but-i-see-it-and-i-hear-it-and-i-think-it-sucks/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:40:30 +0000 portlandme http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=128  

 

 

]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/07/03/its-not-me-being-harassed-but-i-see-it-and-i-hear-it-and-i-think-it-sucks/feed/ 0 When we got on the bus he started doing it to some other girl…. http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/26/when-we-got-on-the-bus-he-started-doing-it-to-some-other-girl/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/26/when-we-got-on-the-bus-he-started-doing-it-to-some-other-girl/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:45:15 +0000 admin http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/26/new-submission-from-kayley-2/ I was standing waiting for the bus at the bus stop and the guy walks up to me. Starts asking me if I am a model and if I have money. Kept asking me how he looks. Touched my shoulder a couple of times. I decided to get on my phone with my mom to try to get him to stop interacting with me. When we got on the bus he started doing it to some other girl.

I've got your back!
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]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/26/when-we-got-on-the-bus-he-started-doing-it-to-some-other-girl/feed/ 0 When I didn’t say it back they got more aggressive with their language. http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/18/when-i-didnt-say-it-back-they-got-more-aggressive-with-their-language/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/18/when-i-didnt-say-it-back-they-got-more-aggressive-with-their-language/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:06:52 +0000 admin http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=114 I missed the bus after my late class. which was the last bus for another two hours. I decided to walk the three miles home on a Friday night. as I passed one of the bars a man and his friend walked passed me then decided to yell in my face hi! and when I didn’t say it back they got more aggressive with their language. I was 500 feet from my apartment so decided to continue to ignore them and get home as quickly as possible.

I've got your back!
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]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/18/when-i-didnt-say-it-back-they-got-more-aggressive-with-their-language/feed/ 0 Street Harassment Workshop at USM! http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/12/street-harassment-workshop-at-usm/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/12/street-harassment-workshop-at-usm/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:35:06 +0000 portlandme http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=103

Join us to talk about how we can fight street harassment!

When: Monday, April 16, 4:30-6:30

Where: Sullivan Gym Multi-Purpose Room, University of Southern Maine Portland Campus

What: A workshop about street harassment and how you can respond!

Call 780-4169 to pre-register (pre-registration suggested, but not required)

Free for those affiliated with USM, $5 for community members

 

]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/04/12/street-harassment-workshop-at-usm/feed/ 0 “I felt so uncomfortable for the rest of vacation that I didn’t even go swimming.” http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/03/24/i-felt-so-uncomfortable-for-the-rest-of-vacation-that-i-didnt-even-go-swimming/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/03/24/i-felt-so-uncomfortable-for-the-rest-of-vacation-that-i-didnt-even-go-swimming/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:03:01 +0000 admin http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/03/24/new-submission-from-anonymous/ Continue reading →]]> I am so glad to find this group! It helps to identify that this sort of harassment is real and should not be expected to be taken as “flattery.” I have experienced this crap since I was 12 or 13. Once I was with my sister and cousin (aged 11-13) walking down a road at night in a rural town and these guys in a car yelled out at us. We thought that it was over but then we saw them turning around to follow us. As we were crossing a driveway, they pulled in and we ran into these woods as fast as we could and luckily they didn’t follow us further.

Once I was on vacation with my family when I was 13 and we were eating dinner. This creepy old guy at a different table, who was with a woman by the way, made eye contact with me and waved. My dad asked if I knew the guy and I was so embarrassed I looked down. The guy made a pouting face at me. I felt so uncomfortable for the rest of the vacation that I didn’t even go swimming.

This sort of harassment has continued throughout my life and has always affected my feeling of safety and empowerment and I’m in my 20′s now. Since it’s been nice out it’s gotten worse and men have been honking a lot at me lately. I always return to that feeling of shame when I was so young.

Now I currently work with the typical men that would be street harassers. Constant comments about hot women and liking to watch porn and women working out in yoga pants. I’ve talked to my boss about it and she did a sexual harassment training. It’s been a struggle to stand up to these guys and I feel like I need to keep the peace and just work with them. We are doing stressful work and you would just think they would know better. It’s a complete culture of machismo and misogyny I am finding.

Strangely enough this sort of harassment doesn’t just happen to adult women and this can be very traumatic to girls just trying to grow up.

I've got your back!
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]]> http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/03/24/i-felt-so-uncomfortable-for-the-rest-of-vacation-that-i-didnt-even-go-swimming/feed/ 0 Spring Forward – Hollaback! Launch Party! http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/03/19/spring-forward-hollaback-launch-party/ http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/2012/03/19/spring-forward-hollaback-launch-party/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:35:44 +0000 portlandme http://portlandme.ihollaback.org/?p=93 Come hang out with Hollaback! Portland, Maine, drink some $2.50 draft beers, and learn about how you can be part of Portland’s most badass movement to end street harassment!

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