DescriptionThree studies demonstrate that stranger harassment (i.e., experiencing unwanted sexual attention from strangers in public) is a frequent experience for young adult women, and that it has negative implications for their well-being. Study 1, a laboratory survey, suggests that stranger harassment may increase self-objectification and thus, fear of rape and restriction in movement. Study 2, an online survey, shows a direct link from stranger harassment to fear of rape, but a surprisingly weak relationship with self-objectification.
Finally, Study 3, using daily diaries, suggests that particularly young women may not view stranger harassment as a completely negative experience. In concert, the findings suggest that stranger harassment may have both direct and indirect negative effects on women's lives, but that its construal may sometimes be positive, and that it is a complex phenomenon worthy of future research.