My Hand is Up

Over at Shapely Prose, they're having a harassment thread. It's in response to a troll who doesn't understand feminism, and who thinks men aren't as critical of women's appearances as women are. So the bloggers called for counterexamples.

Hands up if a man has “said something cruel or sexist about your appearance.” Hands up if you’ve witnessed a man saying something cruel or sexist about another woman’s appearance.

Now it's expanded to examples of sexism and misogyny in women's lives -- street harassment, sexism at work, rape and date rape and stalking and murder.

There are over 400 comments and counting.

It's horrifying. You get angry and sad by turns reading it. I realized that despite the dozens of experiences burned into my brain that I could add to the thread, hurtful words or unwanted touches that I have never forgotten, I am one of the lucky ones.

To everyone who doesn't think sexism still exists, who doesn't think women live with sexual violence or threats or harassment every goddamn day of their lives, GO READ THIS THREAD.

My hand is up.