Jogger wonders how to respond to street jive

DEAR AMY » The other day, I was out for a jog when two young men pointed their cameras at me and shouted a disgusting and pejorative slang word referring to my breasts.

I was humiliated and angry with them for their behavior, but I didn’t know the best way to respond: Introduce myself and engage in conversation? Grab their camera and throw it in the street?

What should I do when this happens to me?

— Objectified DEAR OBJECTIFIED » Depending on where you live, street harassment such as you experienced might be illegal. Check stopstreetharassment. org for guidelines. The organization also runs a hotline: call (855) 897-5910. When this happens, call police to report it. If you suspect they are workers at a job site, report them to the company.

Most harassment is about power; these people want to objectify you so that they feel strong and you feel weak. Try to maintain your outer confidence. Always remember that you are stronger, smarter and greater than they are — otherwise they wouldn’t need to put you down to feel better! Think of yourself as Teflon; nothing sticks to you. Or if you prefer, be Wonder Woman, repelling the male gaze with your Bracelets of Submission!

You need to do what works best for you. You could try to ignore it, or you could go my daughter’s route: stopping in your tracks and fixing them with your best death stare. She has also called police when she witnessed or experienced harassment on public transportation.

You could try to photograph or video them from a safe distance, and post the photo on social media. Most importantly, always put your safety first: Don’t engage physically, and if your instincts are telling you that something is wrong and you should get to safety, and then follow your instincts.

And a note to bystanders: Please stand in solidarity with the woman and shout down the harasser.

If readers have other techniques for responding to street harassment, I will happily run them in future columns.

Contact Amy Dickinson via email at askamy@ amydickinson.com.