Mod Cloth & Hollaback! Combat Street Harrassment

Having lived in New York City for two years now, it's safe to say I've had my fair share of extremely uncomfortable cat-calling experiences, some of which even caused me to think twice about my wardrobe. Thankfully, Mod Cloth & Hollaback! are fighting back against street harassment in an effort to shed light on the important issue and hopefully shed some light on the problem.

According to a study done by Cornell for Hollaback!, "66% of women changed their style to avoid being catcalled." That is an astronomically high percentage.

It's pretty devastating that women feel they have to give up their sense of self-expression in order to avoid feeling uncomfortable or at risk. No one should feel they need to limit their lifestyle choices, fashion or otherwise, in order to ward off unwanted attention and harassment. This is 2015, people.

To celebrate National Women's Equality Day, the company enlisted several employees to share their catcalling stories and offer support to others who have been impacted by the prevalent issue.

These women take the opportunity to respond to the people who've harassed them by telling the camera exactly who they dress for (spoiler alert — it's not random dudes on the street).

Women As Young As 17 Experience Street Harassment

According to the video, "In the U.S. 85% of women experience street harassment by the time they are 17." Say what now?! That's seriously mind boggling.

College Women Experience Harassment On Campus

"67% of U.S. female college students have experienced harassment on their campus," according to the video. Something has got to be done here.

Women Shouldn't Have to Change Their Style To Get Respect

If 66% of women are actively changing their styles to avoid catcalling, we've got a real problem on our hands. Each of the women proclaims who they dress for, and the common theme? Themselves. We shouldn't have to hide our individuality through our sense of fashion in order to be treated with respect.

Take a look at the full campaign video below.

Images: Screenshots (4)