AL DIA Interview
Dominican-American college student submits research on her experience of harassment abroad
Feminist studies student project challenged the question of “well what were you wearing when it happened?” after experiencing harassment
“I encourage all women to not feel restricted because they are thinking of straying away from norms. Being a leader gets you farther than remaining a follower or observer in this life.”
Maria Isabel Castillo is a Dominican- American and senior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania double majoring in Theatre and English—Passionate about the arts, she focuses on acting, modeling, and creative writing, while using fashion as a form of self-expression.
“Art is something that I can never live without, it’s part of me, which is why picking these majors made sense,” explains Castillo, who shared her story as a Latina, woman of color, studying abroad with AL DíA.
Castillo explains how experiencing sexual harassment and objectification while in Paris, Portugal, and London frighten her.
Upon arriving in Paris, a group of more familiar faces and her made their way toward the Eiffel Tower closer to 1am, when a group of aggressors surrounded them and spoke in different languages.
“I could not comprehend, but the looks on their faces told us everything we needed to know,” Castillo recalls. “Running in heels—passing drivers [who] made spectacles of us while crossing the streets.”
Men did not approach women who were with men, which angered Castillo. She felt ashamed at the thought of needing a man by her side to avoid unwanted attention.
While traveling to Portugal with six women from the program, a man barged into her hotel room without confirming if able to enter—later she found out this individual worked for the front desk of the hotel and needed some forms filled out.
These experiences only contributed to Castillo feeling uneasy about her surroundings, especially while in Lisbon, Portugal—consisting of alleyways and desolate streets.
“After heading home one night from a bar with one other person on the trip, things began to feel strange,” recalls Castillo, who shared her experience in the Travel Memoir for the program. “As we began approaching the final street to turn on to get to our hostel, a car passed us then began reversing, blocking the street off. I found myself having a face off with the driver, looking him directly in his eyes. It was clear that he was looking at us if we were targets.”
Castillo further adds “after what seemed like the longest minute of my life, the man drove off.”
The Portugal News reported that “a third of university students in the Lisbon metropolitan area have been victims of physical sexual violence at least once, but very few report the assaults and rarely to their own university.”
The support she received from her feminist studies class made her feel “seen” and “heard.”
In her final project, she was assigned a creative research on a topic related to Feminism— the project was based on the #MeToo movement and how it relates to the way women are over sexualized and how women are often blamed for being assaulted/harassed. The project challenged and goes against the question of “well what were you wearing when it happened?” A common rhetoric that inflicts and discredits the victims experience.
