Street Harassment: The Language of Sexual Terrorism

Abstract

In this article I analyze the social meanings of men's public harassment of women unknown to them. I consider various interpretations of street harassment, such as the harmless girl-watching some men claim to engage in or the invasions of privacy many women perceive in such behavior. Next I discuss multiple social functions of such harassment, and argue that all of these functions can be seen to work together to produce an environment of sexual terrorism. I also include a brief discussion of the importance of women naming their experiences of street harassment and suggestions for future communication research on this and other social issues of concern to women.