Woman harassed 100 times in one day in NYC – video
Campaign video designed to raise awareness of street harassment goes viral as actress receives rape and death threats
A video showing a woman being harassed on the streets of New York has gone viral – and provoked a series of online threats against the woman who appeared in it.
The video was created by Hollaback, an initiative working to combat street harassment, and features actress Shoshanna Roberts walking through the city in a t-shirt and jeans.
Filmmaker Robert Bliss attached a hidden camera to his rucksack and walked in front of Roberts, while the actress carried microphones in her hands.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Over the course of ten hours, over 100 instances of street harassment were recorded, varying from "hey what's up girl?", to "damn, come back". One man followed the actress for more than five minutes.
"I'm harassed when I smile and I'm harassed when I don't," said Roberts. "I'm harassed by white men, black men, latino men. Not a day goes by when I don’t experience this."
Street harassment can vary from catcalling, to following, to groping and assault and is often used "as a means to silence our voices and 'keep us in our place', according to Hollaback.
They say it disproportionately affects women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and young people and often has a severe impact on their emotional well-being, with some being left fearful of leaving the house alone.
The video received world-wide support and has been viewed over five million times, but within hours of the video being posted to YouTube, the actress began receiving death and rape threats via social media.
The subject of our PSA is starting to get rape threats on the comments. Can you help by reporting them? http://t.co/NMYCFd9YOm—Hollaback! (@iHollaback) October 28, 2014
Others suggested that what she had experiences was not, in fact, harassment. One commenter said: "So we've reached a state where it is already harassment when you wish a woman a nice day? Well played feminism."
The same man added: "This woman wears a skin-tight t-shirt with leggings and a push-up bra. What did she expect?"
Feminist campaigners said such comments revealed just how much of a cultural change was needed.
"The problem here isn't just that men are ignorant of how women are treated," writes Kelsey Mckinney in Vox. "The problem is that many know exactly what they're doing to women, and will try to intimidate and silence women who try to fight back."
It's laughableto me that men feel they can definitively say that an issue (that does not affect them) is not an issue #StreetHarrasment—Uraidah Hassani (@UraidahH) October 29, 2014
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Blue Origin all-female flight: one giant leap back for womankind?
Talking Point 'Morally vacuous' celeb space crew embody defeat for feminism
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos