After Sarah Everard’s tragic disappearance in the United Kingdom, women have been tackling important topics such as safety on the streets and putting a stop to harassment. Naturally, some men have come out in support while some others have pointed out that it’s ‘not all men’ who are putting them at risk.
However, Prithika Chowdhury gave some illustrative analogies in her viral TikTok video about how it’s not about ‘not all men’; the debate is about how there’s ‘enough’ or ‘too many men’ who are putting women at risk. Have a scroll down to watch her full video and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Prithika opened up how she has been sexually assaulted before, just like many other women. She wanted to draw attention to this in her video, as well as to show men why women have to be cautious around them. "I created those analogies in hopes that the boys would understand. Of course, the analogy wasn’t meant for all men and men only, it was to spread awareness and to say we can’t trust anybody 100%."
The woman pointed out that not all men are bad, but enough of them are to make some women afraid of walking alone at night. You can watch her full video here
Part-time influencer Prithika’s video was viewed a whopping 1.1 million times. It also got over 433.4k likes, was reshared over 21.5k times, and got people talking, with over 8.8k comments having been left underneath the video.
The TikToker told Bored Panda that she is a big believer in communication and dialogue as ways to make the world a better place. "In my opinion, I believe if we listen to both perspectives—see both sides—we can most likely resolve most of the world’s problems. However, we all know the world can never be perfect. All we can do is cope."
Prithika said that as a TikTok creator, most of her videos are comedic. She aims to make her audience laugh. However, she uses her platform to raise awareness, too. "Hopefully, I can change the perspectives of my audience as well, to talk about many problems surrounding the world."
Meanwhile, Bored Panda also spoke about what men can do to help make women feel safer, less anxious, and to show that they’re their allies with Jorge Arteaga, the deputy director of ‘Hollaback!’, an organization dedicated to eradicating harassment in all of its forms.
The influencer used several creative examples to get her point across
Arteaga was upfront that men have to be true allies. That means putting the needs of those at risk or in danger above your own desire to save the day.
“When you see violence or harassment remember to focus on safety and on helping the person who is experiencing the harm, or harassment. Don't escalate the situation, you want to be clear and concise about what they're doing, why it’s wrong, and what you want them to do to stop,” the deputy director of ‘Hollaback!’ explained to us.
Arteaga gave us an example of what men could say to the person harassing someone: “‘You are being inappropriate and are making them feel uncomfortable, please step away from them,’ and then turn to the person to make sure they are ok.”
He suggested that they don’t engage with the person doing the harassing or harm. “Now, for some men, they may feel wary approaching the situation or being direct because they may not want the woman to perceive them as also trying to harm them. That is understandable, and that is why you should always assess the scenario to find out what the best way to support is. Don't get caught up in saving the day and focus on supporting the person being harmed,” Arteaga warned.
Living is in and of itself a risky business. You’re never ever completely safe wherever you might be or whoever you might be: there’s always a metaphorical crocodile around while you’re fishing. There will never come a time when everyone’s a saint. Accepting the reality that the world can be a dangerous place and that there are lots of bad people out there (not just good ones), as well as taking the necessary precautions to live it to the fullest seems preferable to waiting for the entire world to change on its own.
Living is in and of itself a risky business. You’re never ever completely safe wherever you might be or whoever you might be: there’s always a metaphorical crocodile around while you’re fishing. There will never come a time when everyone’s a saint. Accepting the reality that the world can be a dangerous place and that there are lots of bad people out there (not just good ones), as well as taking the necessary precautions to live it to the fullest seems preferable to waiting for the entire world to change on its own.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t try and change things for the better (we absolutely should!), but we also can’t cling to the belief that there will be a ‘perfect’ time when there are no villains whatsoever, no matter their gender. The risk will always be there; the question is, what are we prepared to do to reduce it so that everyone feels safer? And are we prepared to support those in need of it?
This is how some TikTok users have been reacting to the viral video after it was posted
