Street Harassment: Shawty In The Black Leggings – blogged by BrittneyC

Before I begin, let me give this disclaimer – I am not speaking to those men who actually take the time to form a full sentence and a proper greeting to approach a woman. You are appreciated and I salute you. I am talking about actual harassment. This post is for the f*ck boys. I am also aware some women, or “thots” as they would be more accurately described, enjoy this type of attention. This is not for them. This is for mature women who respect themselves.

Now that I have that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

Much of the male species seems to think that women should like and appreciate any and all attention she receives from the opposite sex. She should be honored that a man took time out of his busy day of scratching his balls and playing 2K to use his precious vocal chords to bless her with an “Aye! Shawty in the black leggings! Dayum you fine ma! Where your man at?” Now if that isn’t the language of love, I don’t know what is.

Shame on the woman who would give a dirty look and refuse a response to man with such an eloquent way of making a first impression. Girl, how dare you turn down a man with such class!

Actually, it’s probably your fault that you receive this type of attention. Honey, you are the one who wore those leggings knowing men wouldn’t be able to resist the roundness of your rump in spandex. You are the one who paid $398 plus tax and shipping for the virgin Mongolian curly bundles that ever so gracefully cascade down your back. You are the one with the fresh pedicure rocking a sexy 6 inch heel. You did this. You came out of the house looking that good so when a man hollers at you from the passenger side of his best friend’s ride, you should appreciate it because it’s what you wanted. You did all of that physical preparation to get this very result and you got it. Right, girl?

WRONG! But, unfortunately, this is the misogynistic mindset many men have.

Men are “hunters.” I get that. You enjoy the thrill of the pursuit. I get it… but I need you guys not to take that so literally. You do realize you are not Mufasa, right? You are not the king of the jungle and I am not a gazelle simply placed here to be your prey. Walking down the street and being bombarded with advances while just trying to exist peacefully in everyday life can be draining and frustrating. If 5 men have already told me to smile, called me shawty-in-the-*insert article of clothing here,* made a loud, unsolicited remark about one of my body parts, and continued to pursue me even after I told them I was involved with someone else, then called me a b*tch… by the time you attempt your shenanigans, naturally, I’m defensive. That’s just survival of the fittest – when actively being hunted, the prey must remain on the defense in order to survive.

Now some of you won’t fully comprehend the hunter/prey analogy so let me be clear – You are not entitled to a response no matter how she looks, no matter how she’s dressed, no matter if she’s in a group or if she is walking alone, no matter what you have to “offer.” Just because she has on a pair of distressed booty shorts doesn’t automatically award you any amount of time in her day. Saying a woman “deserved it” or “asked for it” is the very mindset that perpetuates rape culture and victim blaming.

Publicly making unwanted sexual advances, gestures, and comments is not complimentary. It is street harassment, and it is not welcomed by those of us with a little bit of class. It’s a basic principle of life that if you want respect, you have to give it. What you put out, is what you get back so if you are constantly getting rejected by “shawty in the black leggings,” you may want to reevaluate your approach.