street signs

#DoingItRight Every Monday


'Mens Baby Change' When you see this sign You know Airport is

Affirmative Action Creates Ripples

Actor and celebrated 'Action Hero' Kangana Ranaut refused to endorse a fairness cream.  #DoingItRight
* Starting the week with some goodness. Look out for our #DoingItRight series every Monday, starting June 1st.

We're also calling for an 'Action Hero' who would be interested in curating ‪#‎DoingItRight‬ . This would mean tweeting 5 affirmative actions happening worldwide to build safe spaces. 
One year on from Safe City Pledge, we celebrate, who, what, where is doing it right, to eradicate gender based violence . Because we need to make the good visible. In saying " I Never Ask For It " here's what we're also asking for. Small steps. Big change. 

 Requirement :
> minimum commitment - 1 month
> role- research towards #DoingItRight
> tweeting on Mondays

Rewards:> Action Hero-ism unbound
> Affirmative action could lead to happiness.
Apply. Email blurtblanknoise@gmail.com Starting June 1st !

Action Hero Team includes: Neeha Mujeeb, Sukriti Suryavanshi, Vira Mistry

#DoingItRight Digest ( in order of most recent )

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26th October, 2015

 The day Iceland's women went on strike - Oct 24 #DoingItRight #History
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34602822?ocid=socialflow_twitter

Remembering the Suffragettes // BBC Archives #DoingItRight #History
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/suffragettes/

Tweet about release of film "Suffragette" and an opening up of debate on women and sexism in Hollywood.

Suffragette writer didn't get a job because she 'didn't flirt enough' #INAFI
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34471673/suffragette-writer-didnt-get-a-job-because-she-didnt-flirt-enough

Tweet about upcoming Bond release.

Daniel Craig calls out Hollywood's sexist aging double standard #DoingItRight
http://mic.com/articles/127215/daniel-craig-just-called-out-hollywoods-sexist-aging-double-standard

Jennifer Lawrence pens essay on Hollywood sexism
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34516084

Actresses on the stubborn sexism in Hollywood
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/movies/female-stars-talk-candidly-about-sexism-in-hollywood.html?_r=0

Bollywood actresses are challenging sexist stereotypes by cheering on one of their own
http://qz.com/514293/bollywood-actresses-are-challenging-sexist-stereotypes-by-cheering-on-one-of-their-own/

The brutal, sexist harassment Bollywood actresses face on Twitter
http://qz.com/498555/the-brutal-sexist-harassment-bollywood-actresses-face-on-twitter/

Stop the Cyber-War On Women
https://www.facebook.com/cyberwaronwomen?fref=ts

Chvrches singer condemns sexist abuse from online trolls
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34083834

Mia Matsumiya, a violinist based in Los Angeles, has taken a stand against sexual harassment and abuse online by posting screenshots of offensive messages she's received over the past decade. @mia_matsumiya
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34599600

Retweet:
https://twitter.com/mia_matsumiya/status/656519124470755328

This Woman Was Harassed Over Her Tinder Profile Pic and Now She's Fighting Back
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a45647/this-woman-was-harassed-over-her-tinder-profile-pic-and-now-shes-fighting-back/

Sexual Violence Won't Be Silenced is a Sydney based advocacy group that combats online sexual harassment @svwbs
https://www.facebook.com/SVWBS

Nice to see a mainstream magazine, Elle, talking about feminism
How to be a Feminist - Carey Mulligan, lead in Sufragette
http://www.elleuk.com/now-trending/how-to-be-a-feminist-by-carey-mulligan


 28th September, 2015

11 young women empowering their communities honoured by the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/09/17/young-women-empowering-their-communities-championing-change  #USA #DoingItRight

 Essay by @bonni07 about his girlfriend's experience with harassment. He says, Speak up!!https://medium.com/absurdist/we-need-to-talk-about-sexual-harassment-72a1c6a8e4ae #DoingItRight

 A Scientist tackles online casual sexism. She says, Speak up!! -http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/08/18/social-media-handling-casual-sexism #STEM #DoingItRight

 Recruitment poster in SF sparks comments against woman's appearance & credibility as an Engineer. #STEM #INeverAskForIt

 From not making “the right face” to unbelievable as to "what female engineers look like” https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/you-may-have-seen-my-face-on-bart-8b9561003e0f #STEM #INeverAskForIt 

 What does an Engineer look like? Tackling prejudice faced by female engineers and people working in STEM worldwide http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/commentisfree/2015/aug/13/ilooklikeanengineer-how-one-woman-turned-the-tables-on-sexism-in-her-industry #USA #DoingItRight

 Licia Ronzulli, Italian Member of European Parliament brings her daughter to her workplace. #Italy #DoingItRight

 "To remind people that there are women who do not have this opportunity [to bring their children to work], that we should do something to talk about this." http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/24/high-five-licia-ronzulli-children-workplace 

 Barrister names a senior partner at a London law firm who sent her a LinkedIn message praising her "stunning" profile picture. http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/barrister-names-senior-lawyer-who-sent-her-sexist-linkedin-message-a2943031.html #UK #INAFI #DoingItRight

 Ending with tweets about Sheetal Sathe of Kabir Kala Manch and her work as an activist.

 Sheetal sings of Mothers' hardships providing for their children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7JRWE64CEw

 7th September, 2015

It's Monday again, ! Today's tweets brought to you by . Here we go...

To wrap up Monday, a poignant story from Flavia Carvalho's free tattoos for DV Survivors

Is this ? Scratching my head here: Designated Women's Parking spots in . Your thoughts?


German group is fighting against sexism in ’s most influential tabloid ‘Bild'.
3 retweets7 favorites


 So gets tough on harassment & sexist ads on public transport w/ laws, fines & more. French Govt

Paris to Bid Adieu to Sexual Harassment on Public Transport. Acts now punishable by law! is


10th August, 2015

This week's brought to you by . An affirmative start to a great week ahead!

Today's list includes the following:

first to grant equal rights to all women irrespective of sexual orientation

Londoner Completes Marathon Without Tampon. Would you have done the same?

Watch these slam artists discuss periods through poetry .

Celebrating Manabi Bandopadhyay, the world's first transgender college principal

Women take to the sky! & first female pilots in their countries

breaking societal norms , rides solo across northern areas

US Navy with 18 months maternity leave. Now how about 18 months paternity leave?

- 98% of people believe homosexuality is morally unacceptable. supporting gay rights

Nepal

3rd August, 2015

#JammuKashmir issues notification towards #ChildCare leaves for its women employees. Your thoughts? http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jammu-and-kashmir-government-approves-2-year-child-care-leave-for-women-employees-784649 …

This Monday's #DoingItRight brought to you by @ViraMistry

Today's list includes the following:

'Motivated by distrust of fast strong powerful women' #BruceKidd #DoingItRight For athlete #DuteeChand #testosterone http://news.utoronto.ca/bruce-kidd-sprinter-dutee-chand-historic-win-right-compete-affirms-women-exactly-they-are …

The #AbortionPill is finally legalized in #Canada. #DoingItRight providing women with safe options.

Teenager w cancer has 1wish @MakeAWishIntl To Share Experience #SexualAbuse #ActionHero #INeverAskForIt #DoingItRight http://goo.gl/8jXHNl 



27th July, 2015

This Monday's #DoingItRight brought to you by #ActionHero @ViraMistry


Today's list includes the following:

"I’m interested in women being shamed for just having functioning parts " @MsMapes #Artist #Activist #DoingItRight http://bit.ly/1KlHz2f 

Photographer @CareyLynne sets it right #DoingItRight with her American beauties project. We are many kinds beauty http://huff.to/1Ik8hWx 

Central Govt #India announces 3 month paid leave on reporting sexual harassment at work #DoingItRight? Your thoughts? http://bit.ly/1IkasJQ 

#JacksonIrungu #DoingItRight says she has set herself free by becoming a woman #transgender http://bit.ly/1JClcj8 

No one type of cover girl. Yes. We are proud, whole and diverse bodies .@WomensRunning #DoingItRight http://bit.ly/1KlI646  Erica Schenk


One #ActionHero inspires another .Silent No More. 35 women #DoingItRight speak out #BillCosby http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/07/bill-cosbys-accusers-speak-out.html … @nymag #INeverAskForIt



July 20th, 2015

Mondays here again! This Mondays affirmative actions brought to u by .

Today's list includes the following:
Is someone somewhere to end sexual gender based violence? Small step Big change. Identify. Add. Share http://goo.gl/forms/M93qZW6byv

"They’re getting bullied...beaten up.. murdered, ... committing suicide”

marries at 60. shifting social norms. Make a new cool.

demands sanitary pad for those in police custody
Calling it what it is. .


Identify a minister/ politician taking a step to end + sexual violence? recent times

responds to question on her weight. https://t.co/ZHZqqIXqRT

July 13th, 2015
#DoingItRight reports affirmative actions to end gender based and sexual violence from around the globe.
Today's list includes the following:

200 lawyers are #DoingItRight by defending two Moroccon women being tried for "indecent dressing" ‪#‎INeverAskForIt‬ http://goo.gl/BzBY9T

India's Supreme Court is #DoingItRight by granting guardianship to an unwed mother without the consent of the father http://goo.gl/3mH9e8

"A feminist? Why do you hate men?" @GynoStar #DoingItRight w/ illustrations on being a ‪#‎Feminist‬ in the modern world http://goo.gl/dkhdJa

Women artists ‪#‎Pakistan‬ #DoingItRight taking forward @Sabeen Mahmud's legacy @TheSecondFloor ‪#‎FreedomOfSpeech‬ http://goo.gl/Vj3OOn
If you smell good news this week, send it our way.
Contribute to #DoingItRight .

https://docs.google.com/…/1THU3IyntjwhNyOXXUNsk2q…/viewform…



June 29th, 2015.

top list #LoveWins @POTUS @usa #DoingItRight  by legalizing gay/lesbian marriage in all 50 states! 

affirmative news is good for you /us.  This monday  tell us who what where is #DoingITRight to eradicate #GBV #VAW @rishie_ 

When you have the courage to #DoingItRight . Many will follow. Affirmative Actions Ripple

.@iamjohnoliver discusses lack of legal consequences for online harrassment of women #DoingItRight #INeverAskForIthttps://youtu.be/PuNIwYsz7PI

Watch the top 7 #DoingItRight ad campaigns selected for the @sherylsandberg @Cannes_Lions Glass Lion award http://goo.gl/NjM1rP

Barnard Women's College will now accept those who identify themselves as women regardless of gender #DoingItRight #LGBTQwww.aol.it/1dQdWbn

NALSAR is #DoingItRight by granting India's first gender neutral graduation certificate. #LGBTQ http://goo.gl/gL0t0N

Clitoris + Glitter = Klittra - Sweden is #DoingItRight by crowd-sourcing word for female masturbation http://huff.to/1H9LtKw

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 June 22nd 2015.
"If you are not yourself, then who are you?" Kids react to Caitlyn Jenner via @SheKnows #DoingItRight #LGBTQ https://youtu.be/eWCZIZwiCkY

2 women and 14 men are #DoingItRight by choosing vulnerability over aggression #Conscription #Lithuania http://goo.gl/2qTIMl 

Vrindavan widows are #DoingItRight with color, play, holi and celebration via @AJENews http://aje.io/gcmj

@MenCareGlobal and fathers from around the world are #DoingItRight in this heartwarming video #FathersDay https://youtu.be/uAFIc4Z_wrQ

@Google is #DoingItRight by tackling #RevengePorn #INeverAskForIt http://gu.com/p/4axmp/stw

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June 15 , 2015
‪#‎DoingItRight‬ is brought to you by ‪#‎ActionHeroes‬@SukritiSuryavanshi @ViraMistry @NeehaMujeeb !
‪#‎Iran‬ s step towards ‪#‎DoingItRight‬. Minister ‪#‎AbdolhamidAhmadi‬ approves a govt proposal-allow women watch games http://t.co/hwQQe9hUVR

We celebrate Irani ‪#‎ActionHero‬ @Masih_Alinejad for ‪#‎DoingItRight‬. Build Desire. A wish. https://t.co/8S4oQ0Cjrr http://t.co/U2fFoYVUNj


TALK TO THE STATE :

There's some new news that requires you to take immediate thought and action:

A group of NGO's in Bangalore have gotten together to draft a people's manifesto for the city in context to the BBMP elections, addressing various issues like Health,
Transport, Environment, Rights of Transgenders, Public Education etc. The idea behind this manifesto is to create a debate around these issues
amongst people in the 198 wards of the city and to get political parties to take a stand on issues and demands raised by civil society and include
these issues in their own manifesto's.

If you were to ask the state for change / in context to street sexual violence and molestation what would you ask for ?

It could be big, it could be small, think of the state as YOURS and contribute to the people's manifesto. What do you want?

Add to the list in the comments section below or email us-blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
 subject titled " I WANT " (You can send in more than 1 want). Your email will be published on the blog. An edited document based on your response will form the people's manifesto.

You can also contribute by taking this idea outside of the internet- having a conversation or 2 with your neighbours about the same. Please do hurry with sending us your response- we're a little late in putting this message out! (sorry).

TALK TO THE STATE:

Ratna Apnender- I WANT- section 354, IPC to be publicized.

Jasmeen Patheja- I WANT- streets to be lit at night. lit streets make me feel safer. I want a pavement. The streets are for walking. I want a city I can walk in.

Zainab Bawa-I WANT- better street lighting to get over, to some extent, the perception of unsafe-ness that we can feel at night? Can we also ask for improved public transport for lesser mortals like us who don't drive, specifically more buses that ply longer routes than simply point A to majestic/Market/shivajinagar?

Rushitha Samaveda-I WANT-STREET LIGHTS IN PROPER WORKING CONDITIONS IN EACH AND EVERY STREET. Though I am not from Bangalore, I suggest the need of street lights in proper working conditions in each and every street. Though most of our streets have street lamps,do they function?With proper lights, a girl can work more confidently and be alert even if something happens and shot for help.

Paramita Dutta- I WANT- the state to make self defense or martial arts compulsory in all schools and especially in girls' schools as knowing how to defend oneself gives one great confidence and helps one protect oneself from street violence and molestation.

Uma Chandru- I WANT- safer side walks with ramps and special buses/vans for disabled people to get from place to place and ask them to stop evicting the poor children from increasingly gentrified public parks?

Jasmeen Patheja- I DON'T WANT- the state to 'CLEANSE' public parks by removing couples from there.

Rhea Daniel- I WANT-Since most if the street sexual harassment I experienced was as a school kid at a time when I was most vulnerable to it, I WANT compulsory education in schools that teach young girls their rights, improve their self-esteem and also tell them the best way to deal with common means of sexual harassment. Also educate parents not to ignore this problem and talk to their kids about it, and if something happens to them then LISTEN. I WANT other adults to step in when they see a little kid being harassed who doesn't know the difference and not just shake their heads and say --it happens.

Anonymous- I WANT- regarding ashutosh, I want more women officers everywhere! If we can't get more women officers, then get trained, uncorrupted, decent ppl(possibly from Blank noise) who will protect us. I want more women everywhere!! more female bus drivers, more female cab drivers, more female everywhere.. there are simply too many men out there.. we need to show these indecent men how to treat a women! Why do the women only need to be cleaning, why can't they be cab/bus drivers, more female cops.. n so forth.
sidewalks/pavement everywhere, even in private areas where there are only homes..i hate the pavements in blore, they are so hard to walk on.. why can't they just be simple enough for pedestrians to walk??
I want workshops where women are taught about their rights and how to defend themselves..
I want workshops in poor areas, where women are usually abused, they should learn to defend themselves & know their rights as a wife, mother, daughter or aunt or whatever. So they can teach their daughter how to defend themselves & teach their sons how to respect women.
I want the state to give harsher punishments to pedophiles, rapists, sexual assaulters. They should go through a course in jail about women, how they need to be respected and not be treated like a piece of shit!

Dianne Sharma Winter -I WANT- Decent lighting on the streets and suburbs so that women feel safe to walk. I want separate transport for women during rush hour.
I want women police officers who are trained in dealing with complaints of a sexual nature on every corner.I want male police officers to also receive training on how to deal with complaints of sexual abuse.

Chitra Badrinarayan -I WANT- Compulsory education in schools and homes on the right way to treat/talk to/behave with girls/women.

Jasmeen Patheja- I DON'T WANT- separate transport for women because in the long run it only furthers the divide. IT IS NOT A SOLUTION. I admit it makes me feel safer in an immediate sense but I don't want separate transport for women. Instead I WANT the public transport system to communicate that street sexual harassment is a serious offence according to section 354 IPC. I want more women bus conductors, women bus drivers. I WANT the state public transport system to communicate that it will support women who experience harassment regardless of who they are (sex workers or an 80 year old), what they are wearing or where they are. I want the state to take responsibility through communication and not segregation. Blank Noise would like to work on communication with the state.

Hemangini Gupta- I do not want prostitution banned/ more CCTV cameras.
I WANT a follow-up of the request that we made to the DGP during the Fearless Karnataka/Nirbhaya Karnataka protests which was to make police stations less hostile to women who were attempting to file FIRs, especially when these were related to sexual assaults. We had asked for a posting of a memo on all police stations across the state to serve as a constant reminder to police officers that their role was to provide women with accurate information about the process of filing an FIR and to provide them with all assistance, rather than to discourage them or further intimidate them. The context might have changed but I think that the points are still relevant:

17.04.09

Circular

Sub: Violence Against Women

Post the Mangalore pub incident on 24.01.09, when women were attacked, there have been the increasing cases of attacks against women in public spaces. These attacks are crimes against women. They are legal offences. They are neither isolated events nor trivial incidents of ‘eve-teasing’. They are part of a series of attacks inflicted on women in the name of ‘morality’ and religious intolerance, attacks that are escalating as women resist and fight back. Women have been targeted for what they have been wearing, the fact that they were on the road late at night or that they should not have been in a particular location. The motivation behind the attacks is to compel women to subscribe to a narrow definition of culture and modesty. Moral and cultural policing of this nature is undertaken to restrict the freedom of women to live full and meaningful lives.

What has come to our notice is that often when these attacks happen and some women go to the police station to register FIR's police are reluctant and dicourage the victims from filing FIR's. In some cases NCR's are registered under the guise of it being an FIR. When women do come to police stations, they are often subjected to questioning which can be personal, invasive, demeaning and disprepectful under the guise of obtaining information relevant to the filing of the FIR.

In the above outlined context your police officers are required to :

1. Treat the issue of violence against women as a serious human right issue and do not dismiss it as a case of 'mere eve teasing' or an issue which does not merit the attention of the police.

2. Recognize the fact that it is not easy for a woman to come to the police station to file an FIR and provide her all possible support to ensure that the FIR is filed.

3. Register an FIR under the relevant sections such as Sec 354, 504, 506 and 323, 324, among others.

4. Understand that if the victim is unable to describe the perpetrator or give details of the attack it could be becuase of shock or fear and not immediately jump to the conclusion that the complaint is concocted.

5. Do not make the victim feel responsible for the violence she has undergone by asking her personal demeaning questions pertaining to her dress, her friends or what she was doing on the street.




Chaitanya Krishnan- I WANT fast track courts to be "fast track".
I WANT auto drivers to remove the stupid mirrors they put inside their autos, so they can stare at the passengers.
I WANT police stations to register cases and take complaints regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.
I WANT policemen to be accomodating to people who do not speak the local language.

Aparajita Sharma -I want- a more responsive approach from the state legal department to punish people who commit such atrocities on innocent people.


1) This includes a non-bailable arrest warrant for people who take the law on to their hands, all in the name of "Bharatiya Sanskar". This is total hypocrisy because Indian customs and way of life is to respect Women, first and foremost and not raise one's hand on them.

2) Stricter enforcement on part of the State Police, as they turn a blind eye to these acts of violence, fearing political wrath or some similar ridiculous notions in executing their duties. No one is above the Law. In this country we have High ranking judges and ministers arrested for corruption and mis-demeanor. What gives the political party members and the deranged youths to behave the way they do and get away scot-free because of their affiliation to some corrupted nut who thinks he is God to the State.

3) Social awareness amongst the people to realise that what is socially acceptable behaviour and decorum in public places, which all fall under the ambit of the legal machinery of our country.

4) Bangalore is an international destination and called the Silicon Valley of India. It is party to international businessmen and tourists. This image that it has created of late for itself sends out very wrong signals for business and What India stands for a hospitable country, which not only respects women but also upholds the dignity of the citizen of India. Public flogging if possible for people who commit these acts of violence and harassment, and full coverage by the Press should create the awareness that what they did was wrong as well as this kind of negative publicity will make each offender think twice or (hopefully) never again to do what they think is fun and a kick to their machochism or so called 'mardangi'.

5) Discounted training classes for women to learn


Avni Patel - I WANT- Severe Punishment for the eve-teasers.. Just a mere fine of 1000 bucks is not enough to stop these losers from eve-teasing.. A serious punishment is necessary to teach them a lesson and to scare them from doing anything of that sort again!


Hasina Hasan I WANT-

1) There is not adequate lighting at night on church St, Rest House Road etc etc. Some street lamps are on and some aren't. Low maintenance of this basic facility of street lighting has allowed for many trangressions to occur viz. eve teasing to me personally as well as men beating up women in cars parked on these dark spots. Needless to say even the patrolling cops wont be able to notice such acts due to the bad lighting. The poorly lit areas allow for such misdemeanors and hinder even the police from being able to do their job of securing the city well.


I WANT proper lighting at night on every street in my city.

2) Not all of us can afford private vehicles due to budget restraints. I have no budget restraints but choose to travel by public transport. My aim is to reduce pollution and traffic by travelling via public local buses and carpooling.

But there is list at bus stands that tells us the bus numbers that frequent the particular stand. There is no clarity and that allows for buses to come late or not turn up and we are forced to either goto main bus stands and start from scratch or catch autos (out of budget for some) or stand waiting for buses that are hours late. It is unfair to us who leave home an hour early to reach our destinations on time. When we can respect others time then the govt. should too and they hopefully will not allow for such laxity on Buses/drivers/etc by clearly listing maps/routes/times/bus numbers - all of that or a combination of that at every bus stand.

I WANT the public transport authorities to facilitate us with proper public transport.

3) Streets and parks are lit up at night but run on electricity. Of late some parks' nameboards have been replaced with lighted boards. While that is a brilliant idea and in keeping with the times, does all that run on electricity? Could we not aim for lighting that runs on solar power/alternate energy for park name boards? While this is a shot in the dark and is definitely something long term. It most definitely in the long run will lead to energy conservation from everysense viz solar powered energy will eventually lead to reduced costs, save energy etc.

I WANT solar powered energy saving technology to be used for Street lights and Park name boards etc.

YAMINI DEEN-I WANT-
1) I want early awareness workshops in schools encouraging frank , open discussions among kids, thier parents and teachers about sexual harassment.
2) I want real consequences for violating IPC 354
3) I want the police to be accountable for crimes against women who have to or want to stay out at night instead of saying ''Madam go home '' or ''Madam, walking at night not allowed''.

DHRUVA GHOSH- I WANT-
Decreased censorship.
Repression almost always has unhealthy ways of getting back at the society. Street sexual harassment is one such.


SOLPA SMILE PLEASE!








Mid late august Blank Noise did a two week workshop at Srishti. The students Kinshuk, Neha, Tanvee. Prerna. Piyush. Pooja. Shrikar worked on a number of projects, one of which involved smiling in public. The Action Heroes team went to Majestic Bus Stand and walked about individually with a smile on their face. Why smile?
“what would it be like if everyone on the street smiled?”

Would the experience of being in public amidst ‘strangers’ be less threatening? How would a smile be interpreted? How does a smile affect the dynamics between strangers in a context where it is not normal to smile, it is normal to be stared at if you are female, that too from a socio economic background which isn’t the represented group in that public. ( majestic bus stand) It isn’t even seen as normal for women to make eye contact here! The group made eye contact and smiled. Are there 'ways of smiling' as there are 'ways of looking'? Does the smile have a tone?

The male action heroes (Kinshuk, Shrikar, Piyush) smiled too. How was their smile interpreted? How did women respond to them smiling? How did other men respond? These were some of our questions. Here’s what the new Action Heroes have to say about it.

important : read with a smile


Kinshuk:
Some people were really surprised and amused when they saw me
smiling continuously. When I smiled at people only when I smiled at people only when they were closer to me,it made them conscious. If i just stood in their way and smiled at them,they suddenly deviated from their way. After sometime people also reciprocated smiles. Most of the women walk with their gaze fixed to the ground,and also
they ignore until necessary. Maybe, the fear of exceeding or challenging boundaries of private spaces into public spaces stops people from smiling at each other. What if from childhood , we are conditioned to smile at every stranger,rather than being on our guard.


Pooja Gupta:
It was interesting how most people looked away specially the women while the men seemed more curious as to why we were smiling at everybody. Some of them at first acknowledged the smile, but, when smiled at again did not seem to like it as they seemed to have thought of us being up to something. Also, it was more accepted by people if we smiled at them individually whereas if there were too many of us smiling at them then they simply wondered why and looked away or walked away. All this comes back once again to the point where we see in human nature, that everybody at all times is looking for reason. Why is it that we have to have a reason for everything we do ?

Neha Bhat:
Madam, kitna charge karega?” ( "how much will you charge?")
This is was my first experience of being mistaken for a sex worker and being approached outright at a bus stop. Was I leering? Was I ‘sexily’ dressed? Did I wink and gesture lewdly? No, all did was smile.
Maybe I didn’t smile at only the people I knew. Maybe I did make eye contact with a person to make the smile on my face evident. Are these things ‘wrong’?
Did I then, ask to be followed and be categorized as someone ready to be picked up from the street?
Smiling at the bus stop invoked responses of various kinds- from shock, to surprise to mostly, thrill and delight in a man’s face. It was observed that women looked away and ignored the smile, that I made evident, was for them, altogether. Along with socio-cultural and economic aspects of a response to a smile, I concluded a connection to geographic location .Also, young boys from the North Eastern part of the country, seemed to respond in a way that was far more open than a young man from any other part of the nation.
What were the intonations of the kind of smile I was giving?
When is a smile threatening?
How could I use a smile as a defense mechanism?
There were also questions of the definitions of ‘shady’, ‘creepy’ and ‘slutty’ smiles that I dealt with.
Although all these will always remain unanswered, a project like this took smiling from a casual body-lingual sign and magnified it to emphasize the deep rooted connotations of small gestures in our behavior, we often ignore or take for granted.

Tanvee Nabar:
Men were the easiest to make eye contact with.They mostly walk making eye contact with people in general so intentionally making it is not so hard. They reacted in different ways to the smiling. Some returned it. Some were a bit off-footed and just walked on by or stared. Some unfortunately got quite excited by this gesture and followed me around. Out of some 5 pursuers, only two were threatening in anyway and one only because he was wearing a mask. What was interesting was that the curious ones asked me questions, which according to plan we were not allowed to answer – so in french because they so avidly believed i was not from this country. Which on hindsight made me think that maybe they thought smiling was a cultural thing.

Prerna Bishnoi:
One man almost thought I was going to start a conversation and opened his mouth to speak. Smile is the beginning or an end of a conversation not the conversation itself?
I smiled, they smiled, I smiled some more, they smiled some more- I broadened their smile, that’s when most men shied away.
I broke into a smile- they did too.
Then, there were those who took the effort to uncover their mouths and face the deadly swine flu virus, only to smile at me.
Ah! The gaze, I experimented with- a hard stare, a constant eye contact, a soft eye contact not prolonged with my eyes finding themselves back to the open air within seconds. Each made a difference.
That persistent smile, not once, twice but thrice! Follow me- is that what I said?
He made eye contact as I moved up and down, I smiled, but then it was more than that smile, “the conversation was being given a direction”, I thought as his thumb stuck to point at himself.
Women were a different story, with their gaze so low or their blinks so fast. There were instances where they were smiling and my smile just brought an end to theirs.
That suspicion glaring as their lips tightened into a straight line.
The odd couple I smiled at, who were already red with all the flirting and intimacy stopped dead in their tracks, my smile was misinterpreted!

Shrikar Marur:It was a failed mission in my case as every time I walked past a person and tried even before I could initiate a smile, he/she would just look away, not in an attempt to avoid eye contact but a natural reaction most people tend to have.

Saumitra: Women were not even looking at me they used to either ignore me or they used to look away if i could make an eye contact. Many men thought that i know them or they know me and hence i am smiling at them

More from them here:
http://psandp.wordpress.com/course-details/blank-noise/the-smile-project/

Street Signs



designed by Action Hero Kinshuk


designed by Action Hero Saumitra Chandratreya.


Hudgi- kannada for 'girl'.
designed by Action Hero Neha Bhat.





designed by Action Hero Prerna Bishnoi




designed by Action Hero Pooja Gupta
context: street tales of love lust and possible misinterpretations



Approaching free to love zone

Designed by Action Hero Prerna Bishnoi
concept note: This sign is meant to be put up in a park keeping in mind the recent decisions made by the BBMP ( bangalore) to corden of parks and make them less accessible to “lovers”. so this is a sign to be put up in areas that are meant for the lovers (by default) to in a way let people know that they are free to love and warn people that the approaching area is where this right will be freely exercised.

text on sign: legal action will be taken against those who do not hum.
designed by Action Hero Tanvee Nabar





designed by Action Hero Pooja Gupta


Pooja, Neha, Kinshuk, Shrikar, Piyush, Prerna, Tanvee are students at Srishti School of Art Design and Tech. Blank Noise was at Srishti on a 2 week workshop. All street-sign ideas have been proposed by the students now aka Action Heroes.

We will be sharing student work here; a sign a day. The signs are not on the streets yet but will find themselves where they are meant to belong SOON. keep watching. stay tuned!



reference:
Street sign event annoucement
signs for citizens (2008)
srishti / blank noise workshop

Street Tales of Love/ Lust/ and possible misinterpretations:


" Excuse me?"


if you've got a story on being approached by a random stranger

if you've got a story on approaching a random stranger because you found him or her attractive
write to us.

*


if you've got a story where you experienced sexual harassment from a stranger but now feel that maybe he was trying to stalk you/ talk to you (etc) because that's the only way he could express himself/ or his interest in you...

if you've got a story where you tried to approach someone / make conversation / express interest and you feel that maybe the other person interpreted it as sexual harassment.

write to us


*

feel free to send in movie clips, songs, texts that also look at the different codes and interpretations to street sexual behaviour.

you know where to find us!
blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

reference blog post and more links here:
http://blog.blanknoise.org/2009/07/street-sexual-harassment-could-be.html

MAKE A SIGN



- by Ilona Granet



Make a street sign.

It can be in any city , street , lane , neighbourhood you want. You could think of signs in buses, parks, night clubs, movie halls, malls and markets- it is up to you to spell out which kind of place you want your sign in. It could even be in sites where women have experienced street sexual harassment- like here.

You are welcome to say anything you want.



Guidelines:

1. we encourage submissions that are affirmative.

2. your submission should include a brief note about which place you want to insert the sign in and why

3. it could be in any language but an English translation is important.

4. It does not need to have text. It could just be visual.

5. It does not need to have visual. It could just be text.

6. It could have both text and visual.

7. You must send us a web friendly jpeg/ png/ file, but remember not to throw away the original vector file incase yours is selected for printing!

8. you may be the recruiter- you could involve your local network to work on this.
for example- if you are a teacher- this could be a class assignment. If you are in college- you could organize a community of people to work on this.

9. Some of you might have better writing skills than visualization skills, in that case you are
welcome to send text for a street sign. Based on the response to this event we might have the option of someone with visual skills partnering with you to make this sign.

10. keep it simple

Your street sign will be put on the Blank Noise blog + flickr.
3 signs will be selected to be tried and tested in public. The selected signs could also be printed on t shirts.


Deadline: 17th May. 2009
Confirm your participation by emailing us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
subject titled SIGN. We will add your name to the list below. Sign UP! Be an Action Hero.

We are always avaliable to chat with you about your idea for the street sign before your submission.



Here's what we want to say and why:

We are talking of safer cities not feared cities
We are talking of independent women, not paranoid women.
We are talking about collective responsibility- don't tell me to be even more 'cautious'.
We are talking about eve teasing as street sexual harassment and street sexual violence.
We are talking about autonomous women, not just mothers daughters and sisters amidst fathers brothers and sons.



resources/ reference
In the past we have discussed
this
and this
and this
and this
and this
and this

Sometimes we just love to walk, stand around, hang around, without looking ‘available'.

BLANK NOISE/D THIS PLACE


Watch out for this place every Sunday morning.

To participate revisit the site where you experienced sexual intimidation in public, photograph it and send us the picture with an anecdote. I

f you would like to participate in getting people from your city involved in Blank Noise This Place, do let us know by writing in at blurtblanknoise at gmail.com

Lead volunteers on a rotating basis. Current volunteers include:
Suparan Kudesia- Delhi, Nabila Zaidi- Lucknow, Sunayana Roy- Kolkata, Amruth Bhushan - Bangalore and Varsha Chandwani- Mumbai

© 2003,Blank Noise * @2004, I Never Ask For It

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