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While I am having an overwhelmingly positive experience in Egypt, things aren’t always easy. Something that is especially hard to deal with is street harassment, which is a huge problem here. Most of the girls here have had to deal with it at some point, regardless of their nationality. No “kind” of woman is singled out. I don’t want to generalize or paint all Egyptian men as disrespectful; most of the guys I have met are lovely. However, this is certainly an issue that needs to be dealt with.
The catcalls and comments are definitely wearing, so I was very excited to see a piece of anti-street harassment graffiti on a wall downtown. It depicts a hijabi in heels, spraying away a crowd of men as though they were troublesome flies. The message reads, “No to harassment.” I am glad that Cairo’s street artists have chosen to deal with this subject, as I think it is one that doesn’t get enough attention. You’re supposed to ignore it, be quiet, pretend you don’t understand, don’t start anything. (As if you’re the one that started it.) So to see a woman, even a two-dimensional one, asserting her right to walk down the street without being bothered was heartening.
At the time, I was trying my best to blend in and therefore didn’t whip out my camera and start clicking away, so I’ve attached a picture of the wall from the Africa Review’s website. The same piece is painted on other walls in Cairo- the women look different, but their confident pose and their message is always the same.
I’ve discussed these problems with both guys and girls. Most of them sympathize, or commiserate. Some, however, try to excuse it. “Well, the girls should expect it if they wear x piece of clothing/are blonde/are pretty.” “The guys aren’t like that in their real lives; that’s just how they are on the street.” And my personal favorite: “Well, it’s expensive to get married, so the guys have nothing else to do.” The idea that dress excuses this kind of behavior is insulting to women, and the idea that men can’t control themselves and be respectful is insulting to men.
I agree that, in terms of dress, the “when in Rome” approach is best; one should go along with cultural norms. I take cues from the girls I see downtown and usually wear tunics with jeans or long skirts. I think it’s respectful to blend in. But no woman should be made uncomfortable because of how she looks, and I’m glad that this graffiti can remind people of that.