The idea behind the experiment was simple. A woman walks around New York all by herself while a hidden camera in front records all that happens around her. In 10 hours, the woman encountered more than 100 instances of verbal street harassment, not counting whistles and winks. That video went viral, leading to people around the world to try similar experiments in their cities.
Two people in Mumbai decided to replicate the New York video – but what they came up with could not seem more different.
In one video, a woman dressed in a pink top and a short skirt walks all over the city – from Andheri and Vashi to Bandra and Kurla – for a day but ostensibly receives no catcalls, no stares. The video, signing off, flashes the message that the girl did not suffer a “single incident of street harassment”. “Female citizens are safe and respected... in this city,” it says. “Mumbaikars deserve a big salute for their attitude towards women.”
In the second, a woman, dressed in a full-length green skirt and a full-sleeved top, walks for an hour around what appears like Grant Road area. She is constantly stared at, even followed by a man. Frustrated and exasperated, she finally exclaims at the end of the video: “I can’t take any more men looking at me.”
Most Mumbai women seem to think that the first video was a PR exercise. It's impossible to get through the day without being started at, they say.
You decide.
Two people in Mumbai decided to replicate the New York video – but what they came up with could not seem more different.
In one video, a woman dressed in a pink top and a short skirt walks all over the city – from Andheri and Vashi to Bandra and Kurla – for a day but ostensibly receives no catcalls, no stares. The video, signing off, flashes the message that the girl did not suffer a “single incident of street harassment”. “Female citizens are safe and respected... in this city,” it says. “Mumbaikars deserve a big salute for their attitude towards women.”
In the second, a woman, dressed in a full-length green skirt and a full-sleeved top, walks for an hour around what appears like Grant Road area. She is constantly stared at, even followed by a man. Frustrated and exasperated, she finally exclaims at the end of the video: “I can’t take any more men looking at me.”
Most Mumbai women seem to think that the first video was a PR exercise. It's impossible to get through the day without being started at, they say.
You decide.
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