A woman travelling alone on a train recently shared a video on Instagram showing her confronting a man who was secretly taking pictures of her.
In the clip, Gabby Mostamand, an LA-based model, approaches the passenger after noticing him repeatedly photographing her without consent.
She asks the man, “Excuse me, do you have a problem? Because you keep taking pictures of me and it’s making me very uncomfortable.” The man responds, “I am sorry if you feel that way.” Gabby then points out that she had seen him taking her picture on his phone. She firmly tells him, “You need to stop that. That’s not okay,” before walking back to her seat.
Sharing the video, Gabby explained why she posted it. “Only sharing because I think it’s an important issue, and people don’t understand how much stuff like this happens. People call women ‘rude’ for standing up for themselves and having their guard up… but there’s a reason we have to. This is the reality of our world and you have to look out for yourself,” she wrote.
Gabby admitted she felt embarrassed and anxious about confronting the man. “I was shaking and on the verge of tears, until I went back to my seat and completely broke down,” she said. “I was so embarrassed about the whole situation, even though I shouldn’t have been. The people around me on the train were very supportive and comforted me,” she added.
“Moral of the story-be safe, and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. There’s no reason why women should face harassment like this,” she concluded.