But What Was She Wearing?

Anonymous asked: Why aren't you uploading as much as you usually do anymore?

Hi! Great question! Two reasons:

1) I’m moving at the end of the month and haven’t been doing ANYTHING as often

2) I’ve been waiting for more PHOTO SUBMISSIONS. I always try to balance text-only submissions with ones that include a photo (since really, the project is about the photo (but I understand why ppl don’t always have it). Right now I have about 5 photos in the que… And 400 text only submissions. SOO; help me out by sending in a photo with your submission, and we’ll keep the project going! (After I get my shit together with moving :)

Peace and love!!

“I was out jogging on a cold day inside military housing, wearing pretty much my baggiest sweatpants and sweatshirt, and these two guys who were maybe 4 or 5 years older than me (I was almost 15) started shouting things like “WOO WORK IT!” and “Can I get a piece of that?” even though only my hands and most of my face was uncovered, so since then I’ve only run inside on a treadmill.”

Anonymous submission 

“But What Was She Wearing?” is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!

“Today I was sitting in my car making a phone call. I noticed a man walking in front of my car, so I glanced up. As soon as we made eye contact, he turned to me and started thrusting his pelvis in my direction and circling around his groin with his pointer finger. I immediately looked away as soon as I realized what he was doing. He continued for a little while longer, and upon seeing that I wasn’t responding, he yelled, “Fine! Keep your dirty pussy away from me!” and walked away. I felt so gross and embarrassed. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a scarf, which are the only things he could see from where I sat in my car. Unbelievable.”

Submission from swanrachelle

“But What Was She Wearing?” is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!

“When I was 11 I was walking home from school with my friend (about a 5 minute walk) when a car pulled up on the street right next to us. We immediately sped up but the car began following us. After about a minute of us circling around the neighborhood because we didn’t want to show him where we lived he rolled down his window and started shooting at us that he would “give us a good time” and that he could “show us what real pleasure felt like”. Being 11 we weren’t exactly sure what he meant but we just ran up these hills to the back of my house. 2 days later a man in the area was arrested for kidnapping a girl aged 12 and sexual assaulting her.”

Anonymous submission 

 "But What Was She Wearing?“ is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!

“Because I am heavily tattooed, sometimes people ask invasive and inappropriate questions. I usually dress in baggy jeans, sneakers, a loose t-shirt, hair in a ponytail and absolutely no makeup ever. On the way to the subway this summer, some guy yelled, “is your ass tattooed?” as I was trying to push through summer tourist congestion on Canal Street.

A few months ago, I was walking a friend’s dog around my neighborhood. I was wearing basketball shorts and a long-sleeved shirt (let’s just say I don’t dress feminine and am more like a tomboy). At the nasty homeless guys corner, as I call it, one really scary and big guy purposefully stood in front of me so I couldn’t walk past him on the sidewalk and insisted on me taking off my clothing to show him my tattoos.

Another time, maybe 10 years ago, I went for a 6 am run with my pitbull. I was dressed in normal running shorts and a tshirt. 10 minutes into my jog, a teen driving his dad’s green Mercedes, stopped, called me over, only for me to see he had his dick in his hand. I was probably 28 and this little shit was maybe 16? Wtf, way too early for that shit and I wish my dog had actually been aggressive to that asshole.”

Submission from yamadonkeycorn

“But What Was She Wearing?” is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!

“I was 19 years old and at a Halloween party in Chicago. I didn’t think my outfit was revealing at all - I threw together a quick “rock star” outfit with a tank top and some ripped jeans.

When I was standing in line to get a drink, I felt something touching my leg, around where there was a rip in my jeans below my butt. I turned around and some man, who I did not know, was trying to stick his hands into the rip and up to my butt. I don’t really remember what I said to him, but I do remember staring at him and telling him to fuck off before storming off. I left the party shortly afterward.

I’m 27 now and this still shakes me to this day.”

Anonymous submission 

“But What Was She Wearing?” is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!

“So, I’ve got two stories and neither one really qualify as catcalling, but they are harassment that made me feel totally violated.

The first story happened a couple years ago during my second year of college. I was with my boyfriend at his friend’s house for a party. I was wearing a dress and some tights with a jacket because it was chilly out. My boyfriend and I had been standing in the kitchen talking when he left me to go to the bathroom or talk to his friend or something. This other boy then proceeded to corner me where I was standing against the counter and stuck his hands up my dress to try and remove my tights. All he said to me was, “hey, baby.” I did not know this boy. I asked him several times to stop and tried to shove his hands away. He only finally stopped when my boyfriend came back.

The next story happened a year after the first. This time I was at my boyfriend’s house for a Halloween party. My costume was one of my everyday dresses with bunny ears. I was having a good time until these three guys came up and circled me. At first they were being nice, just asking about my major and where I work and stuff, but then all the sudden one of them grabbed my boob. Like, reached down my dress and grabbed it. I pushed him away and immediately went to find my boyfriend to tell him what had happened.

The part that really gets me, the really messed up bit is that in both cases when I told my boyfriend what had happened, he got mad at me for it and called me a slut and never said anything to the guys. It was especially hurtful because I had always been extremely loyal to him and had gone to him feeling violated and seeking help, not a fight. He is of course my ex now.”

Submission from poysenberri

“But What Was She Wearing?” is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!

“Several years ago, my friend and I were waiting for the bus when a group of young men walked by and started catcalling us. My friend, much braver than I, told them to piss off. So these wankers began calling us stuck-up bitches, saying that we’ll “never be fucked by nobody.” We were 15.”

Anonymous submission 

“But What Was She Wearing?” is a project documenting what street and sexual harassment actually looks like. Submit your own!