Last updated: 14/05/08
What you lookin’ at?

“Oi, What you looking at?” A stout-swilling brute’s reproach to an unwanted gaze.

In haut-couture the response may be more refined but the reason the same: nobody likes being stared at.

It’s a lesson learned by the Italian man jailed recently for staring at a woman on a train. He’s spending 10 days in prison and is being fined 50 euros after a 55-year-old woman sitting opposite him complained of sexual harassment.
Is it political correctness gone mad or a shining example of human rights and sexual equality?

Staring intensely can create fears of violence. English law deals with it under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
“In nature a silverback gorilla will rush at you and start beating his chest if you have encroached on his territory,” says counsellor and psychotherapist Jim Bamber, from Grastang.

Mr Bamber’s analogy of English law with a gorilla’s primal instincts is understandable. The intimidated Italian woman contacted police rather than beat her chest.

“I guess some people have fear. We are basically animals and if somebody stares at us then that is threatening,” he adds.
English law has no legal provisions dealing with sexual harassment, but the European community says it includes any “non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.” So sonny-jim’s staring was in the wrong.

The grey-area surrounding sexual harassment is like the grey area around staring - especially when it comes to different cultures. Whether riding a bus, or travelling on the London Underground, British people prefer averting eye contact. Yet the Spanish and French are comfortable holding a slow gaze over fellow commuters.

“In some ways I think my country is more open minded,” says Spanish mature student Alex Garzon.

“Staring is the normal thing to do.”

You’d think that being used to Spanish starers he would be prepared for Asia. Not so. When Alex and his partner holidayed in China they were shocked by gaping natives.

“My girlfriend felt violated. She could not even go to the supermarket because she felt intimidated by everybody looking at her with their mouths open.

“The Chinese have different culture and politeness values so they don’t care if they upset you and they just carry on staring.”

According to Mr Bamber this type of staring is natural. He said: “Staring is usually because somebody is unusual either physically or in the way that they dress, examples of which are people with strange growths; the elephant man syndrome, almost.”

“Then there’s also a kind of staring when people slow down on motorways to look at a crash and horrible things.”
Elephant man syndrome? This is a bit unfair on the innocent stare - especially when a flirting gaze is the cupid’s arrow of many Saturday night discos.

“If you are gob-smacked by somebody sexual attractive you’re going to stare at them what ever race, gender or culture you are,” added Mr Bamber.

So staring can be offensive, criminal, incendiary and sexual - not to mention a sign of drug-crazed insanity. It’s all about the right place and time. As the Italian gent found - it’s not with the women sitting opposite you on a train.

I was in Italy a couple of years ago and people were running around pinching people’s bums. My girlfriend was pinched on several occasions.

I have been guilty on hundreds of occasions of staring at beautiful women but I have never been arrested.

I have been on the underground and nobody even makes eye contact. That’s the complete opposite.

I had a person on the tube open their magazine and put it between us after saying ‘hello, how are you?’

by Ricki Dewsbury