New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) doesn't have a normal bone in its body. That holds true for everything I've experienced since moving here, and one of the most confusing aspects of it is something common throughout most of the United States: street harassment.
Street harassment in NOLA isn't always straight forward. I moved here used to the kind of street harassment I would get in Oregon or California. Since moving here, I have also come to know the type of street harassment present in some major cities in Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas and Florida. The precise form in which it manifests is unique to each city, but at it's core, it's ultimately the same thing. There is no standardized, legal definition of street harassment, but Stop Street Harassment defines it as, "unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a stranger in a public place without their consent and is directed at them because of their actual or perceived sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation." Anyone can experience street harassment, but it is most commonly experienced by women or non-binary people.
I have personally had experiences that run the gamut of street harassment, ranging from a single guy saying, "Hey, sexy legs," as I was walking home in Minneapolis, Minnesota to a group of teenagers yelling, "Hey, I wanna f*** that white p****!" and then throwing a bottle at me when I ignored them while walking from a convenience store in Orange, New Jersey. I have had people ask me for my number, comment on all parts of my body, follow me when I ignored them, or call me a b**** when I refused to respond. Even "Hey, baby," is street harassment in most contexts. Unless I know you and we have a relationship where that term is appropriate (including my giving consent for you to call me by it), you don't get to call me "baby." It has strong sexual connotations in the majority of the country.
But NOLA is different. In New Orleans, you have the strong influence of "Southern hospitality". Talking to a stranger on the street is standard practice, unlike in many other metropolitan areas, and calling someone "baby" isn't always a sexualized or patronizing term. Because of this, I had very mixed feelings when I first moved down here, and especially when I broke out of the Tulane bubble by moving from campus to a residential neighborhood a half-hour walk away my sophomore year. I wasn't sure what to make of the random old man saying "How you doin', baby?" from his porch when I was walking home in the evening. Anywhere else this would seem like pretty clear street harassment. But it didn't sound like it. It sounded gentle, friendly, like a genuine question. It took a some time for me to get used to this exchange, but I did get used to it. It happens throughout the city and it does take some practice to differentiate between what is or isn't street harassment in NOLA. All in all, I have personally divided random interactions with strangers on the street into three categories:
1. Interactions that would be street harassment outside NOLA, but isn't here. This is the "How you doin', baby?" I mentioned earlier. Sometimes in New Orleans, strangers will ask you questions like this and legitimately care. Using terms of affection for other people is normal because there is such a strong sense of community. NOLA has maintained this though everything it has been through and I wouldn't have it any other way. These types of initial interactions are how I've gotten to know many of my neighbors as well as other people throughout the city.
2. Interactions that are technically street harassment, but are too creative for me to be mad. My favorite example of this happened a couple months ago; I was walking down Poydras St. and came to a intersection. As I approached the intersection, an old man there took a dramatic bow in my direction and said, "My mother taught me to always bow for royalty." Technically this is street harassment as it is commentary on my appearance by a stranger on the street without my consent. But I have a particular flair for the dramatic and this was creative enough that I couldn't even be upset. I laughed and we had a lovely conversation. I have never experienced such creativity in commentary on the street outside of New Orleans. It honestly is much more like flirting in my opinion and in these cases of creative and non-sexual commentary, I have found that even if it is unsolicited, they are just trying to put a smile on your face (and not in the "Give me a smile" way). I know that plenty of people disagree with me on this one and yes, it does technically qualify as street harassment, but I really have a difficult time being mad at these people.
3. Interactions that are straight up street harassment. This is the most straightforward section. Mostly it consists of catcalls, explicitly or subtly sexual comments, gestures, etc. Sometimes it gets scary. I've had people follow me before and get aggressive. Thankfully, I have always managed to get myself out of situations before I am in any significant danger, but not everyone is so lucky.
Ultimately, street harassment is still a huge problem in NOLA. There are still plenty of incidents of whistling and catcalls and sexual comments which sometimes escalate to violence. But it also isn't always the case. It took me a while to realize this about the Crescent City, but I'm glad that I have. It's just one more thing that makes New Orleans unique. So if you come to NOLA on a visit, don't be surprised if someone calls you baby and asks how your evening is going. If they're a local, they most likely mean it.
