Stand Together Against Harassment
Maya Seth
"Stand Together Against Harassment" is a public campaign built around three garments tackling pressing issues of sexual harassment. It gives them a physical presence that demands a cultural change in spaces where harassment occurs. It is founded on research and interviews with women who experience sexual harassment frequently.
These garments represent many women's lived reality, often only kept alive through retelling traumatic events. Sexual harassment often goes unnoticed and vanishes from the public space the moment the harasser stops the harassment.
There is a strong relationship between textiles and the issue of sexual harassment. It can communicate the personal stories at the project's core and connects to how often women are blamed for harassment as they choose to wear 'inappropriate' clothing.
The campaign embodies the unity born from injustice and the ongoing presence of harassment in a person's life, challenging the notion that it is merely a compliment.
Sexual harassment is not a new issue, but progress is being made. I want this project to contribute to the push for less harassment, where it becomes uncomfortable to harass rather than be harassed.