Sexual Harassment is Sexual Harassment.

Last night my Macbook’s charger broke. It was old; it’s time was done. So, this morning I had to get a new one. Seems like a simple enough task, right?

Wrong.

I left my hotel room wearing a long sun dress (one hundred degrees, 80% humidity).  And, as I walked the streets in search of an electronics store, the invasive shouts and stares of men left me with not a moment’s peace.

I cannot leave my hotel room without a man yelling at me or coming up to me and gesturing for me to get on his motorcycle.  Everytime I step outside I am subject to the force of this toxic, possessive male gaze. This isn’t something I should have to accept. This isn’t just a cultural difference. It’s wrong and it should be stopped.   What annoys me even more is that the men think I’m rude when I ignore them, and sometimes they think I’m joking when I tell them to fuck off. What they don’t understand is this: It is my right to be able to walk down the street without being harassed, and I simply will not tolerate otherwise.  

I also cannot have a conversation with a person here, woman or male, without them exclaiming over the fact that I am alone. It’s a shame that so many people in the world think that women need companions in order to travel.  Why should it be met with so much surprise that a grown ass women with an education and a job is doing things like eating dinner  by herself or grocery shopping alone? It is my right NOT my privilege to travel by myself if I so chose. 

“It’s just another culture” is no excuse for the flagrant disrespect I have faced on a daily basis here in Vietnam. I understand the fact that this city is isolated and seldom sees white women. But at the same time, just because I’m a tall white female with noticeable breasts doesn’t mean I should be subject to this treatment. I hope that as the world becomes more and more multicultural, it also becomes more respectful of its women.

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