Cori Shalit
Editor '18
From the perspective of a teenage girl who spends an immense amount of her free time in Manhattan, I view the issue of sexual harassment with immense depth. Starting at around 14, cat calls became part of the routine. If I was in the city late at night, it became expected.
But, should a young girl resort to walking quickly with her head down and her phone accessible, terrified that her life will be harmed just because some idiot wants to call out a sexual remark to a girl half their age (or more)? I don’t think so. These moments where a car slows down as it approaches you and few people are around would terrify anyone, especially a young girl. So common on the news are stories of assault, kidnapping, and molestation. What stops these stories from directly affecting us, making us the victims? I have held my phone, dialed at 9-1-1, with my thumb tremulously hovering over the call button as a car slowed down near me, just to have them call out some scandalous remark that I dismissed. Obviously I was not happy about it, but simply relieved there was nothing more.
Starting my freshman year of high school, I joined a youth volunteer program that met every Sunday in the city; basically, every weekend I journeyed into Manhattan on a Saturday, spent the night, then would spend my Sunday at the program, taking the train back home each Sunday night. Public transportation became second nature to me and Penn Station my second home. One Saturday, at 14, I was in Penn Station, about to go to a friend’s house. Quickly, I noticed someone, a white man about my dad’s age, following me. I immediately called the friend whose house I was going to. She lived in Harlem and experienced this stuff often, she had told me to call her if I was ever scared in this situation because she always picked up her phone immediately. As promised, she immediately picked up. I told her the situation and she told me to go into the nearest store. Thankfully, Penn Station was packed and my stout 5’2” frame, I was able to quickly run into Hot & Crusty, the nearest place and ran to the back. I noticed the guy following me stop, looking around to see where I had gone. I ducked, remained on the phone with my friend, and waited 10 minutes before I looked up again. The man, thankfully was gone. I continued to my friend’s house, scarred by what had just happened, and imagining my parent’s reaction to such an event; they would be appalled, to say the least.
What I had experienced that night didn’t change my life, it didn’t make my cry, and I didn’t think about it the next day. But, what if that happened with a girl who had no clue how to react in that situation, was more triggered than I had been by such an event, or wasn’t as observant as I had been in that situation? I honestly wouldn’t want to know.
Sexual harassment comes in so many forms. Although catcalling may not seem like a big deal, it is one great form. It happens most obviously on the street, at the bus or train station, and even within our school. Unwanted sexual attention is not uncommon. It occurs in the form of a stranger aggressively sitting with you on a train when there are many other empty rows and making inappropriate comments. It can happen at the beach when you’re simply trying to have a good time with friends. So many people are under the false pretense that persistence is attractive and will cause a girl to change her mi
Editor '18
From the perspective of a teenage girl who spends an immense amount of her free time in Manhattan, I view the issue of sexual harassment with immense depth. Starting at around 14, cat calls became part of the routine. If I was in the city late at night, it became expected.
But, should a young girl resort to walking quickly with her head down and her phone accessible, terrified that her life will be harmed just because some idiot wants to call out a sexual remark to a girl half their age (or more)? I don’t think so. These moments where a car slows down as it approaches you and few people are around would terrify anyone, especially a young girl. So common on the news are stories of assault, kidnapping, and molestation. What stops these stories from directly affecting us, making us the victims? I have held my phone, dialed at 9-1-1, with my thumb tremulously hovering over the call button as a car slowed down near me, just to have them call out some scandalous remark that I dismissed. Obviously I was not happy about it, but simply relieved there was nothing more.
Starting my freshman year of high school, I joined a youth volunteer program that met every Sunday in the city; basically, every weekend I journeyed into Manhattan on a Saturday, spent the night, then would spend my Sunday at the program, taking the train back home each Sunday night. Public transportation became second nature to me and Penn Station my second home. One Saturday, at 14, I was in Penn Station, about to go to a friend’s house. Quickly, I noticed someone, a white man about my dad’s age, following me. I immediately called the friend whose house I was going to. She lived in Harlem and experienced this stuff often, she had told me to call her if I was ever scared in this situation because she always picked up her phone immediately. As promised, she immediately picked up. I told her the situation and she told me to go into the nearest store. Thankfully, Penn Station was packed and my stout 5’2” frame, I was able to quickly run into Hot & Crusty, the nearest place and ran to the back. I noticed the guy following me stop, looking around to see where I had gone. I ducked, remained on the phone with my friend, and waited 10 minutes before I looked up again. The man, thankfully was gone. I continued to my friend’s house, scarred by what had just happened, and imagining my parent’s reaction to such an event; they would be appalled, to say the least.
What I had experienced that night didn’t change my life, it didn’t make my cry, and I didn’t think about it the next day. But, what if that happened with a girl who had no clue how to react in that situation, was more triggered than I had been by such an event, or wasn’t as observant as I had been in that situation? I honestly wouldn’t want to know.
Sexual harassment comes in so many forms. Although catcalling may not seem like a big deal, it is one great form. It happens most obviously on the street, at the bus or train station, and even within our school. Unwanted sexual attention is not uncommon. It occurs in the form of a stranger aggressively sitting with you on a train when there are many other empty rows and making inappropriate comments. It can happen at the beach when you’re simply trying to have a good time with friends. So many people are under the false pretense that persistence is attractive and will cause a girl to change her mi