Following all the recent talk about street harassment, I asked the AWOT community to tweet me their best comebacks to street harassers…
Image from stopstreetharassment.org
Bloke in train station staring at my tits. Don’t think he expected me to point at them, then at him & shout ‘GREAT, AREN’T THEY?’
@MissCay-
Once in a pub I got told I shouldnt be playing a man’s game (pool) and to go home because women don’t get spoken to in pubs. I was so shocked I just stood there open-mouthed. I wish I’d told him to fuck off but it’s not what you expect is it!
-
One day, I hope to break into the refrain from
Hollaback Girl.
@alice_emily
-
I was walking down a street once having just bought a machete from a army supply store (I like machetes) and some guy stop and asks if I want a ride. And I hold up the machete and ask “Do you really want me in the car with you?” and he’s like “Well I trust you, you seem harmless,” and I was like, “what if I’m not? Would you risk your life on it?” and he drove off right away.
-
Him: Oh, I thought you were going to be pretty. Me: I thought you were going to have a brain.
-
“If you touch my bum again I’ll fart on you.” I even put it on
@hollabackldn.
-
“Dude, does that EVER WORK FOR YOU? Has anyone EVER responded positively? You must NEVER get laid.”
@thebkwyrm-
A tweep (can’t remember who) recently said she’d replied “suck my dick”. Left harasser confused & speechless.
-
After Anchorman came out I got “I wanna be on you.” Misheard and said “Sorry, what? You’re from Scotland?”
-
Out w/ sister. Creep (hoping for ‘girl action’): “So what’s the relationship btwn you then laydeez?” Sis: “Biological. Piss off.”
@londonfeminist-
A guy started stroking my hair the other day and telling me I looked like Rapunzel. I told him it was a wig.
-
Not exactly street harassment but in the 60s my Mum threw bananas at fellow employees that hooted at her ‘cuz she wore miniskirts.
-
Him: “Smile, love!” Me: “Dance.” “You can’t tell me what to do!” “…”
@FunnyGrrrl-
Recently I responded to one guy with, “WOW, REALLY? CAN I GIVE YOU MY PHONE NUMBER?” He called me a bitch. Such mixed messages.
-
My mum told me one of her friends had her arse grabbed in a club, grabbed it, held it up and shouted ‘to whom does this belong?’
-
Ooh, and: “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but what did you REALLY think that was going to achieve?”
-
To the man rubbing his cock against my leg on the tube ‘can you move over? that packet of polos in your pocket is digging in to me.’
@esme_g-
The appropriate response to a man gesturing at his crotch is ‘I’ve seen bigger’.
-
It’s REALLY important to not mention the size of their dicks. You don’t want them to think that’s a consideration.
-
Some chav guy asked for my number. I said no. He said was it because I was too posh for him. I said yes.
@RedHeadFashion-
I favour “Do you have a daughter / sister? How would you feel if someone shouted what you just said at them?” (not very pithy, but it works)
-
Another fave: turn round, look at them, and do a big spluttering laugh.
@laurenbravo-
I find a simple withering look and a ‘run along now’ works wonders.
@CJMortimer-
I find a simple, “Sorry, what did you just say?” is often quite effective – force them to repeat their own idiocy, again and again.
@laurenbravo
-
“RUDE!” (shouted as loudly as possible, whilst majestically sailing onwards like the victor you are)
@D_for_Dalrymple
-
“I *beg* your pardon? Are you actually 12?”
@alice_emily
-
Maybe it’s because I’m a Chicagoan, but when strange men call me “honey,” I call them “woogums.”. They get disgruntled.
@thebkwyrm
-
Got harassed on street by terrifying man for having a ‘foreign’ tattoo. Told him it wasn’t my fault he was illiterate.
@rollcredits
-
Cat call I couldn’t object to: in Trinidad wearing a bright orange tee, a guy shouted: “Gyal you look like a big dose of vitamin C.”
@mhd_bass
-
One of my male colleagues, who I generally don’t have a lot to do with (as he’s fucking lazy) emailed my lovely female office-mate the following: ”Is Jane single? Do you think she’d be interested in a no-strings-attached night of fucking me?”
a) no; b) EW EW NO.
Needless to say, I declined. Then vomited everywhere.
anon
-
And here’s a story I was emailed a while ago that I completely forgot to post:
I was walking home from university, on the phone to my dad and I was wearing shorts, tights, and a light jumper. Simple. Not revealing, but it’s bloody hot outside so I wasn’t going to cover up more (and why should I just to repel the *twats*). Basically I had just walked up a big hill in NW London so as you can imagine my hair was sticking to my face because of the sweat and I was grasping for breath a little. Yet STILL I got harassed by three men, who were walking in the middle of the road:
“Hi princess…” “Ohhh you look goooood enjoying the sunshine in those shorts” “That’s right, walk past us so that we can see you from behind”.
This was all being said to me whilst I was trying to stay composed, carry on a conversation with my FATHER who could clearly hear what they were saying, and still trying to walk with a sticky face and a heavy bag.
For about 10 seconds, I could neither hear my dad, or the grotesque comments coming from the men that I’d just walked past. My brain had gone a bit dumb. Then some signal fired correctly and told my brain that I should probably do something.
I chose to turn around, raise my middle finger on my left hand (whilst my right hand tried to block the microphone on my phone) and say a loud “fuck off”.
There was that millisecond where I thought that they may chase me down the street, but instead I was greeted with: “Ohhhh she’s feisty”.
Surely I couldn’t have won in that situation.
It’s a regular occurrence for me and my friends. I know people that have been shouted at through van windows, and chased by knobbers on mopeds.
@jinksies
