Nobody should feel like their personal space is being invaded by someone who frightens you. And nobody should be hit on when they clearly show they’re scared and don’t want anything to do with you through their body language and tone of voice. Especially while live-streaming in a public place.
However, that’s exactly what happened to an 18-year-old student, who goes by maassassin_ on TikTok, whose videos of being hit on by an older man in a hotel courtyard went viral on social media. There were plenty of women who said they know perfectly well how she must have felt and that dealing with creeps is a nearly daily occurrence for plenty of them.
Watch the videos and let us know what you think and if you’ve ever been in a similar situation as the teenager has, dear Pandas. And be sure to read on for Bored Panda’s interview about staying safe with ‘Hollaback!’, an organization that aims to stop harassment in all of its forms.
A teenager’s videos of being hit on by a creepy older guy went viral, and they resonated with a lot of people, especially women
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She was live-streaming when the dude approached her, so she captured the entire interaction in two viral videos
@maassassin_Scariest night of my life so far. #fyp #kidnapping #stranger #creepy #april24 #scary #staysafe #foryou #man #help♬ original sound – That’s Mrs, Whitethorn to you
@maassassin_I never expected this to happen to me in the middle of a hotel courtyard. #help #man #foryou #staysafe #scary #april24 #creepy #stranger #kidnapping♬ original sound – That’s Mrs, Whitethorn to you
Staying safe on the streets and in public spaces is incredibly important, so Bored Panda reached out to ‘Hollaback!’ for a comment on how to react to harassment. Jorge Arteaga, the organization’s Deputy Director, said that each and every situation is different and that ‘Hollaback!’ honors “how folks choose to protect themselves.”
Trusting your instincts and deciding what’s right for you at the time is what’s important. ‘Hollaback!’ has three main strategies on how to respond to harassment. “First, ‘trust your instinct’ and there is no right or wrong response to harassment. Whatever your response is in the moment was the right response for you,” Arteaga told Bored Panda about the first two strategies.
“Next is, ‘Reclaim your space,’ if you choose to. You can tell them to leave you alone or what you want them to do and why, ask people for help, or document the situation and use it for reporting purposes, if you choose,” he said.
The key here is choice: there really isn’t a wrong way to react to harassment because you’re trusting your instincts and nobody knows what’s right for you in the moment better than you because you’re actually living it.
The teenager was clearly scared and didn’t want to talk to the guy who was chatting her up
Image credits: maassassin_
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The teen gave some extra information about what happened and how she felt in a follow-up video
@maassassin_update! #stranger #creepy #april24 #scary #foryou #staysafe♬ original sound – That’s Mrs, Whitethorn to you
The teenager originally posted two videos about the interaction with the creepy guy, as well as a couple of follow-ups. One of the people to help the initial video go viral is podcaster Chris Evans (no relation to Captain America’s actor), who was horrified that somebody would hit on a teenager when she was live-streaming.
Her initial video had over 12.2 million views at the time of writing. Meanwhile, in a couple of follow-up videos, she went on to explain that the guy who hit on her seemed to be far older than she was, in his 30s. In other words, he should have known better than to try hitting on somebody who very clearly wanted to be left alone.
The teenager indicated multiple times that she didn’t want to have a chat with the guy who was hitting on her and it took a while for him to get the hint. Fortunately, things ended well and the student’s friend was even making sure that she was all right from afar.
What’s more, the student spoke to the receptionist at the hotel’s front desk who explained that they’ll have a talk with the guy about his behavior. Hopefully, things will change for the better as more people become aware that these kinds of situations simply aren’t ok.
Unfortunately, these sorts of situations are nothing new to women who have to deal with them on a regular basis
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Let's just make this very clear: if someone is doing this to you and you tried polite *once* and they didn't go, you don't have to be polite to them any further. Say it clearly, say it confidently and loud: 'Leave me alone. Do not sit at my table. Go away.' Practice in front of the mirror if you're not sure you could do it for real. Don't be afraid to ask someone else (e.g. staff) for help. It's not making a fuss.
I feel scared to do shout at them like that because then the situation can get aggressive and violent. They can easily suddenly switch from being "friendly" to abusing you and saying you're an ugly b*tch anyway and getting violent.
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First, he makes a vague gesture that she read as him only wanting the chair. He thinks this will count in his favor as she indicated he could have the chair—-consent—-but he’ll just forget about her not wanting him at her table. Second, instead of apologizing for the misunderstanding and moving on, he planted his feet under her table, and started trying to get her name, even after she plainly says she did not invite him to sit with her. Third, he only leaves when she says she’s streaming live, and could turn the camera on him and immediately ID him—-and I wish she had! He’s probably a chronic perv who hits on very young women and is scared shitless of losing his anonymity, plus his job, family, reputation, and freedom (jail, if his usual victims are teenagers). Too many commenters here are making excuses for him, because of his age. Listen, if old dogs can learn new tricks, then old men can get with the times, learn this behavior is wrong and not tolerated, and then stop it.
On Saturday I was on morning train to our capital city. I was at coupe for woman, so no man is allowed there... A woman with baby boy came there too and be there with me. At one point, before we reach the final destination, I went on WC. When I came back, I walk across a man i n the corridor who just returning into his coupe. I entered ours, and the woman look at me scared saying, that after I left, a man came there and star asking her, If she want to hang out with him and if she needs help with carriage. It was the same guy I met in the corridor. He litteraly wait for me to go on toilet to stand up and go to that woman sho was alone at the moment.
Let's just make this very clear: if someone is doing this to you and you tried polite *once* and they didn't go, you don't have to be polite to them any further. Say it clearly, say it confidently and loud: 'Leave me alone. Do not sit at my table. Go away.' Practice in front of the mirror if you're not sure you could do it for real. Don't be afraid to ask someone else (e.g. staff) for help. It's not making a fuss.
I feel scared to do shout at them like that because then the situation can get aggressive and violent. They can easily suddenly switch from being "friendly" to abusing you and saying you're an ugly b*tch anyway and getting violent.
Load More Replies... First, he makes a vague gesture that she read as him only wanting the chair. He thinks this will count in his favor as she indicated he could have the chair—-consent—-but he’ll just forget about her not wanting him at her table. Second, instead of apologizing for the misunderstanding and moving on, he planted his feet under her table, and started trying to get her name, even after she plainly says she did not invite him to sit with her. Third, he only leaves when she says she’s streaming live, and could turn the camera on him and immediately ID him—-and I wish she had! He’s probably a chronic perv who hits on very young women and is scared shitless of losing his anonymity, plus his job, family, reputation, and freedom (jail, if his usual victims are teenagers). Too many commenters here are making excuses for him, because of his age. Listen, if old dogs can learn new tricks, then old men can get with the times, learn this behavior is wrong and not tolerated, and then stop it.
On Saturday I was on morning train to our capital city. I was at coupe for woman, so no man is allowed there... A woman with baby boy came there too and be there with me. At one point, before we reach the final destination, I went on WC. When I came back, I walk across a man i n the corridor who just returning into his coupe. I entered ours, and the woman look at me scared saying, that after I left, a man came there and star asking her, If she want to hang out with him and if she needs help with carriage. It was the same guy I met in the corridor. He litteraly wait for me to go on toilet to stand up and go to that woman sho was alone at the moment.
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