meg@sii.UUCP (Marta Greenberg) (06/01/85)
Excerpt from a posting by oddjob!cs1: > Living on the south side of Chicago, and keeping late graduate-student hours, > all I do is dress like a guy, keep my hair short, and nobody has bothered me > in three years. Yes I *do* walk alone after dark *frequently*. I'm really > tired of this provocative clothing, high-heel sneaker and rape discussion, when > it's pretty clear what the solution is: look like a guy and nobody will bother > you. This does not entail any loss of "femininity"--it's only a disguise, an appearance. That seems to work well for you. I'm truly glad and hope you keep it up. You shouldn't assume that every woman can adopt your solution, though. How tall are you? What about someone who's, say 5'? She can probably look like a boy, but not a man. On the streets, after dark, that may not be much help. I'm 5'4". I have small shoulders and big hips. I'm not well-endowed, but I'm also not flat. In cool weather, when I wear a bulky jacket and pants, I may be able to pass for a man. But my height may work against it. And I still may not be home free (I have a good male friend, my height, who's been robbed on the street). And what about the summer? I usually wear (men's) t-shirts with math equations and the like, but I still won't pass for a guy. Another problem (for some women) with your suggestion is that we can't always dress like men. Everyone is not a student. There are lots of times when we have to dress for business. We cannot always tuck our hair up and wear bulky tops and baggy pants. And there are social occasions. So what then? (Some of these occasions may necessitate walking outside after dark. Hey, women get hassled in full day light in "good" areas, too.) A solution of "look like a guy and nobody will bother you" is not a full answer. It's not as bad, but sounds like the de facto curfew already followed by lots of women. (And, of course, many women don't want to have to follow either solution; they want to be free to do as they please. Not immediately practical with the way things are out there, but it would be nice.) Marta Greenberg, decvax!sii!meg