bad girls

Bombay. March 15.





photo credits. Punit and Yamini


Yamini Deen reports:

After so many Blank Noise interventions, the street in my head is like a laboratory of delicious experiments- those of provocation, the test of limits .

The street tells so many stories of wooing , of harassing, of hookers , of control, of sexuality .

SO Gateway Sunday was one such experience.

I walked up and down the promenade for a while. I went and politely handed the letter to anyone who responded to me in some way-lewd, curious,anything.

Some men would look at me up and down in the lewdest way possible and get completey flabbergasted if I went up to them, smiled and handed a letter.

Guilt? Fear? Something they didn't expect?

One man came to me and said
''So you think I am eve teasing you''?
''Why did you only give me the letter''?

He later told a male friend.
'If a girl walks ''that way''..you know one assumes she is asking for sex.'

But Gateway is also a space where they pick up men/women for sex. is the line between being unapologetic and sexually overt so thin?

But I am by now extremely unapologetic about my walking.

Anyhow, in the corner right in front of a gateway of India stood a pretty white woman in a short yellow dress. When I first spotted her, men collected in a line , at a 'safe' distance and stared.

She fiddled with her phone.I handed her a letter and left.

After a while, I went there and noticed that men were taking turns to take pictures with her.

(This while she was holding our letter)

She was smiling. The crowd thickened. Rumours flew like sparks and at other parts of the promenade, fellow blank noise members overheard conversations

about Preity Zinta or 'some' celebrity being there.

(A photo op for random loiterers, is that the new hobby of celebrities?)

Well.,after a while, about 40 men had crowded around her taking turns to take a picture with her.They helped themselves to her waist while holding her.



And she was smiling , mostly, slightly embarrassed , occasionally uncomfortable.

And maybe behind all mobs, there are a few complacent cops standing at a corner.

We asked the cops why they didn't stop anyone.

They said it was because she agreed to have her picture taken.

I was wondering then if in my mind I allowed the thought that she might have actually enjoyed the attention.And NOT in a negative way- not in a she deserved it sort of a way.

We asked her and she said 'Now , ask them to go.'

It was like a constant seesaw between comfort and discomfort for her.She never really looked threatened, to me atleast.

The only thing that worried me was how the mob gathered so fast, and mobs being mobs, can go out of control.

Which again brings me to the question of when attention is threatening, when it is mildly irritating, when it is flattering and when it can make you bawl.

Action Heroes include: Yamini Deen, Pranav Joshi, Kismet Nakai, Punit, April.

Next event: Blank Noise Bombay on March 29th. Sunday.

CALLING ACTION HEROES. REPORT AT blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

SEND ONE GARMENT YOU WORE WHEN YOU WERE "EVE TEASED"








Do you really think you 'asked for it' when you experienced street sexual harassment?
How often have you found yourself blaming the pair of jeans, the salwar kameez, the skirt, the t shirt? Do you really think it is your fault when you are violated? Do you really think you deserve to be humiliated? Do you really think that it is only certain kind of clothes that result in women experiencing street sexual harassment?

We say NO.
We say there is no such thing as 'asking for it' and we need you to prove that for us/ yourself.

How?
Send in 1 garment you wore when you experienced 'eve teasing'. Your garment is your truth, your witness, your evidence, your memory. You can volunteer to collect clothes volunteers from friends, family, peers, associated and sent them in.

You can make this happen. It's simple- ask yourself and others around you to remember that one garment you wore when you were made to feel that you 'asked for it'.

Collect one, two or twenty, be the Blank Noise Action Hero from your city. town. locality.


What next?
We propose to install these clothes on the streets of your city and collectively challenge the notion that women ask to be sexually violated.

Suren Vikash participated in this event by bringing back a bag filled with clothes- belonging to his sister, cousins, and relatives. This is to say that men can participate in actualizing this as well!
  • There will be a contact person per city- that could be you. want to volunteer?
  • If you wish to collect clothes on behalf of Blank Noise from where you are based, email us. We would be thrilled to have you taking on this responsibility!
  • The mailing address will be shared on email and will be city specific.
  • Please attach a note about what exactly took place.
  • Please attach the age of the person who experienced it.
  • Your identity will not be revealed if you do not want it to.
  • You could also photograph the garment and send it to us. We will share it on the blog.
  • If you have any other ideas on how you can participate- actualizing the event, fund raising, seeking permissions etc, write in now!
  • If you have already discarded that one garment to this project- we will be adding your name to this list below. If you have not been mentioned, please email us and we will add you right away!
  • some of you may not have the garment with you- for instance if the incident took place in childhood and it was a school uniform- in that case do desrcribe the garment to us, or send us something close to it.




The idea- When women experience sexual violence/ harassment/ or are 'teased' they are made to feel guilty for experiencing it. We are taught to blame ourselves for being 'dressed provocatively', for being in the wrong location, at the wrong time. Public perception and blame also assumes that a certain female stereotype gets assaulted for the 'right reasons'. The truth is that we have been receiving all kinds of clothes- school uniforms, saris, short skirts, asexual-shirts, jeans, salwar kameez. No matter what you wear, a no means NO. There is no such thing as 'asking for it'

Blank Noise challenges notions of time, place , dress and person. With
I never asked for it- we challenge the notion that women actually 'ask to be sexually assaulted'

We take a stand and urge you to do the same.
I never asked for it. Yes we want 1000!

reference:
Our last street action on international women's day, March 8 asked Blank Noise Action Heroes from across the country to come wearing the garment they wore when sexually assaulted.
also see:
Cheap girls and this.



How are you?


A mob of 70-80 men shamed India’s safest city groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day.

An identical incident had shamed India’s safest city exactly a year ago — a girl was molested by New Year’s eve revellers at the Gateway of India. That incident was captured on film by a popular Mumbai tabloid; Tuesday morning’s horror was shot by two Hindustan Times lensmen who happened to be on the spot.
The women — one in a black dress, the other in a jeans and top — emerged from the JW Marriott with two male friends around 1.45 am, and began walking towards Juhu beach close by.
A mob of about 40 got after them and began
teasing the women. One of the women swore loudly at the hooligans.

But the mob, now 70-80 strong, wouldn’t let go. They trapped the women near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. A man in a white shirt tore off the black dress. Another, in a blue shirt, led the assault. As the women fell on the ground, dozens of men jumped on them.

At which point, HT’s Satish Bate spotted a police van and shouted. Senior Inspector Amarjeet Singh rushed in swinging his cane and chased away the mob. He took the victims to the Juhu police station. However, no case was registered, Juhu police station in-charge Shivaji Tadlapurkar said.

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu ...the mob, now 70-80 strong..trapped the near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. A in a white shirt tore off the black dress. blue shirt, led the assault. As the fell on the ground, dozens of jumped on them.


A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu ...the mob, now 70-80 strong..trapped the near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. A in a white shirt tore off the black dress. blue shirt, led the assault. As the women fell on the ground, dozens of men jumped on them.

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day.But the mob, now 70-80 strong, wouldn’t let go. They trapped the near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. ...white shirt tore off the black dress. blue shirt, led the assault. As the fell on the ground, dozens of men jumped on them.shamed India’s safest city

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district. shamed India’s safest city

A mob of 70-80 groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes go. They trapped the women near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. A man in a white shirt tore off the black dress.on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day.But the mob, now 70-80 strong, wouldn’t let Another, in a blue shirt, led the assault. As the women fell on the ground, dozens of men jumped on them.

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day. 70-80 , wouldn’t let go.trapped the near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. in a white shirt tore off the black dress, blue shirt, led the assault. As the fell on the ground, dozens of jumped on them.

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day.

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day. shamed India’s safest city








14 days later .... 'how are you?'
Are you shocked enough ? For how long? Have you already moved on? Does this mean more rules for new year's eve? What is a mob? Who is a mob? Are you stirred enough? Do you expect it? Was this 'bound to happen'? Are you angry? Are you scared? Are you more anxious? What would you like to do? What would you like all of us to do? Tell us. How are you?


Do share with us, your thoughts and reactions about the Mumbai molestation/ street sexual violation episode and we will add you in the list below.

Here's what they said:

Lakshmi

Sepia Mutiny

Annie Zaidi

Sakshi Juneja

Hemangini Gupta

Emily Hansen

Ruia

CHEAP GIRLS


GOOD GIRL

BAD GIRL

DECENT

CHEAP

SEXY

SLUT

BITCH

LOOSE

'CHARACTERLESS'



What's right? What's wrong? red lips? lose hair? short clothes? a bra strap? cleavage? tight clothes??

What does it mean to 'cross the line'? 'To ask for it'

What do you think? What do others around you think: your mom, dad, aunty, uncle, cousin, friends, neighbours, bais, vendors, bus conductors....

The statements received will be visually represented through photographs which will be part of an exhibition in Bangalore April, second week. Anonymity will be maintained. The photographs will also be updated on the blog.

We may not agree, and that's not the point. We all draw lines in the sand. What is your line of control?

email your answers to blurtblanknoise@gmail.com
subject titled: cheap girls

Thankyou!

Blank Noise Team

also see here and here