Stephanie Barnes
It’s no secret that women deal with copious amounts of issues while carrying out daily activities. In a recent video tweeted by News 12 New York reporter Noëlle D. Lilley, we’re reminded just how difficult it can be to be a woman these days.
“Just another day being a woman in the world! The amount of times that I deal with street harassment as a female journalist who works alone is exhausting. Notice how quickly this man got angry when I tried to politely dismiss him so I could DO MY JOB,” Lilley wrote.
In the video, Lilley can be seen holding a mic while scrolling on her phone as a group of men approached. Two of the men walked by the reporter with smiles on their faces while another began engaging her.
The third man put his hand on Lilley’s arm and started sharing the digits to his phone number. She tried to play it off by wishing him a good day, but he wasn’t having it. Despite seeing the mic in the reporter’s hand and the camera on-site, the man continued to engage.
He finished rattling off his phone number before telling Lilley that she should contact him to assist the community.
“Thank you so much. I’m kind of in the middle of something,” Lilley said, gesturing to the camera.
Eventually, the man walked away and Lilley breathed a heavy sigh of what could have been relief and frustration.
The video quickly went viral and Twitter users across the world chimed in to show their support and send love to Lilley.
Of course, some users chimed to share “better” ways of handling street harassment but Lilley quickly and gracefully shut it down.
“And before anyone tries to tell me what I should or should not have done, remember that there’s no ‘right way’ to respond to street harassment or someone making you feel unsafe. When you ignore them, they get violent. When you engage, they feel encouraged,” she tweeted.
She also thanked everyone for the support.