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In 2008, 811 women were a part of a study conducted by the founder of Stop Street Harassment. Out of those 811 women, only 3 of them reported that they had never been harassed on the street. That means that 99% of the female respondents had experienced street harassment. Out of these women, the article also reported that:

95% had been the target of leering or excessive staring

Nearly 95%  had been the target of whistling and honking car horns

Over 87% had been the target of a sexist comment

Nearly 82% had been the target of someone making vulgar gestures at them

Nearly 81% had been the target of sexually explicit comments

Over 77% had been the target of kissing noises

75% reported being followed at least once in their lives

Nearly 57% reported being touched or grabbed in a sexual way by a stranger in public

27% reported being assaulted in public by a stranger

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"I don't know if street harassment is going to end anytime soon," artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh told The Huffington Post. "But people around the country ― and the world ― are fighting for it."

Since 2012, Fazlalizadeh has been at the forefront of the campaign to stop the cat-callers, bullies and chauvinists who make women feel unsafe for simply existing in public spaces. Her ongoing series "Stop Telling Women to Smile," which features the faces of real women alongside the words they wish they could say to their harassers, has gained traction around the internet and across the globe, providing a glimpse into the abuse women face from strangers on a daily basis.

Nearly five years after the project's inception, Fazlalizadeh's process is basically the same. She recruits women from social media and friends who have grappled with street harassment to sit for a photograph and an interview ― a candid conversation that defines what street harassment means on an individual level.

"I don't want to define it for everyone," Fazlalizadeh explained. "Street harassment ranges from sexist comments to racist micro-aggressions to homophobic slurs to getting pushed out due to gentrification."

Central to Fazlalizadeh's project is the belief that, as she puts it, "sexism doesn't work alone." Gender-based discrimination is usually accompanied, the artist explicated, by racism, transphobia or homophobia. The artist invites her subjects to discuss their backgrounds and identities at length, drawing connections between who they are and the way the world treats them.

The photograph Fazlalizadeh snaps during each meeting is later adapted into a graphic poster. Beneath the portrait is a quote from the conversation, often a message directed at a nameless and invisible oppressor. "I'm uplifting women's voices while showing their faces," Fazlalizadeh said. "A lot of times, when we look at art, we're looking at images of women created by men. I'm a woman making portraits of women and their words, and putting them in public spaces that are usually very hostile to us. It's about taking back space with the artwork, physically and metaphorically."

For the past few years, Fazlalizadeh has enlisted fans and followers to expand her project during Anti-Street Harassment Week, set to take place this year between April 2 and April 8. Specifically, she started an event called International Wheatpasting Night, named after a common poster adhesive, inviting people from all over the world to download and print Fazlalizadeh's posters for free to display throughout their communities and neighborhoods.

"I'd heard from people asking about how they can participate," Fazlalizadeh said. "This is one night for people to go out on the streets knowing you are acting with other women in solidarity. When we wake up the next day, we'll find a bunch of these pieces scattered across the country."

Fazlalizadeh also has an installation on view in Brooklyn called "America Is Black." The piece features portraits of American people of color alongside a powerful block of text written by the artist just after November's presidential election. It reads, in part:

America is Black. It has always been. It is a man twirling at 3AM under colorful lights, sweaty and in love with his boyfriend. It thrives with disabilities. It is migrant. It is a tongue that unapologetically only speaks Spanish. It is a self-regulated womb. It is Native. It has been here before any White foot touched its soil. It is traumatized. It is hungry. It is a woman. It has always been ...

The piece is similar in style and message to a mural Fazlalizadeh created in her hometown of Oklahoma City in November. The more concise text of that piece read: "America is black. It is Native. It wears a hijab. It is a Spanish speaking tongue. It is migrant. It is a woman. It is here. Has been here. And it's not going anywhere."

Fazlalizadeh said both murals were inspired by Donald Trump's administration.

"There is this group of people who wanted to keep America as this white, male, Christian country," Fazlalizadeh said. "And that's just not what it is. It's not my reality and it never was. Even growing up in a place like Oklahoma City, I grew up in a black neighborhood. I went to black schools and black churches. I am trying to say, 'America is all these things.' It's not just male and straight and cisgender."

The current political climate has, Fazlalizadeh said, created a sense of urgency within her ― an urgency to do work. Her personal challenge, however, has been to make sure she slows down from time to time, ensuring her efforts as an artist and activist are thoughtful and effective. "I am trying to take a second and plan what I need to be doing," she said. "I am trying to take my time in order to create something that has quality and integrity."
Learn more about International Wheatpasting Night and register to circulate posters of your own here. An exhibition of Fazlalizadeh's work, including her "America Is Black" mural, will go on view at BRIC Media Arts in Brooklyn, New York, on March 22. Take a look at more of Fazlalizadeh's work below.

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Here's How You Can Help Fight Street Harassment With Public Art

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"I don't know if street harassment is going to end anytime soon," artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh told The Huffington Post. "But people around the country ― and the world ― are fighting for it." Since 2012, Fazlalizadeh has been at the forefront of the campaign to stop the cat-callers, bullies and chauvinists who make women feel unsafe for simply existing in public spaces.

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“Statistics - Stop Street Harassment Studies.” Stop Street Harassment, www.stopstreetharassment.org/resources/statistics/sshstudies/.

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Catcalling is just a sanitized word for sexual harassment. A catcall, like a man commenting something like "nice legs" or "just smile for me, baby" objectifies women, states that the purpose of a woman is for pleasing the male gaze, and it dehumanizes us. It must come to an end.

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By Piper Bailey

She is a college graduate

Her heels click against the pavement as she walks to her car

She bought that car

Herself

With the money she earned

At the job she works so hard at

She is a hardworking woman

A truck rolls by, engine coughing

It honks at her

For her?

No, at her

Her stomach churns as the window slides down

The man in the truck compliments her body

I mean, it is a compliment, right?

Right?

He cannot see her diploma

Her hard work

But he sees her thighs and her chest

Her car is never close enough

Her keys jingle in her purse

“Get home” they call out

She is a homeowner

She sees a man in a suit

He looks like he does something important for his job

Does she look like that?

She wonders

His hair is as white as her knuckles, tightening on her purse strap

His hand is on her shoulder

A metal ring on his third finger burns her skin

He compliments her legs

Why does a compliment make her feel like a piece of meat?

Eyes forward

Keep walking

Two men

No, two boys,

Far too young,

Tell her she’s beautiful

They see the distaste in her eyes

“It’s just a compliment, baby”
Her name is not "baby"

She wishes she didn’t wear this skirt

She just wanted to feel confident

But her mouth tastes sour as staring eyes leaves marks on her flesh

She is a college graduate

She is a hardworking woman

She is a homeowner

She is smart

She is proud of her accomplishments

But on that sidewalk?

She is an object.

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The Many Definitions of Sexual Harassment 

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The Many Definitions of Sexual Harassment 

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"Uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature."
- Merriam Webster

"The persistent unwelcome directing of sexual remarks and looks, and unnecessary physical contact at a person, usually a woman."
- British Dictionary

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A Girl Stands on a London Street for One Hour

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A Girl Stands on a London Street for One Hour

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Does this video disgust you? It should. The men who walk past this woman assume they have control over her body, shouting things at her, asking for her number, and even one man groping her. She was just standing there, not speaking to anyone, and various men who saw her thought that they had the right to touch her or make a comment about her body.

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GIRL STANDS ON LONDON STREET FOR 1 HOUR!