‘Your eyes are really beautiful.’ I am sure majority of women must have heard such pick-up lines at least once in their lives. Right? ‘Wow! your muscles are quite strong, do you workout?’ Men might have received such lines too. So, did you consider it as a flirting or was it a harassment for you? How do you differ? Most of the times, people can’t figure out basic difference between both the terms and justify their act of harassment by saying maine toh bas flirt kiya tha. Don’t fall into this trap, please.
So, what does actually differentiates flirting from harassment? A Reddit thread on r/AskMen grabbed our eyeballs and it’s something that you must note in your rulebook. Redditors gave their opinions on how they perceive both the concepts. Let’s delve into it.
I’d say when the woman says “no” and the guy still continues, then it’s harassment.
-Feroc
I see a lot about “If you’re attractive then it’s ok” and while I think this is simply not accurate, you do get your foot further in the door if you’re attractive. Hot guys can still be douches and creepers though!
-Serikan
Some Redditors, in fact, gave advice on how a man should maintain that fine line between flirting and harassment while approaching a woman.
According to a BBC report, a relationship expert shared tips on how to make sure if you are on the right side of it or not.
If you want to meet someone, you have to flirt. But it’s about doing it in the right environment, not when people are least expecting it.
-James Preece
Speaking of when does flirting becomes harassment, Preece said that it’s when a man goes too far, whether through what he says or what he does, when a woman clearly doesn’t want it, the report added.
I believe consent is a key, isn’t it? Consent is the fine line that segregates flirting with harassment. So next time you approach someone cos you really like them, make sure it doesn’t turn into harassment of any kind. Good luck, peeps!