# Is this sexual harassment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318 "2012-03-09T20:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/1 "2012-03-09T20:02:05Z")
Is it sexual harassment if I am maintaining forced eye contact to obviously avoid looking at her breasts? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/2 "2012-03-09T20:09:09Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Is it sexual harassment if I am maintaining forced eye contact to obviously avoid looking at her breasts? Huh? How could it be? I don’t even understand this, is it that hard not to look at a woman’s breasts constantly? Jeez Louise. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/3 "2012-03-09T20:12:34Z")
Yes, looking into someones eyes is sexual harrassment. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/4 "2012-03-09T20:12:42Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Huh? How could it be? I don’t even understand this, is it that hard not to look at a woman’s breasts constantly? Jeez Louise. Sorry. What were you saying? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/5 "2012-03-09T20:20:48Z")
I think we should ask Sexual Harassment Panda. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/6 "2012-03-09T21:00:23Z")
It’s not sexual harassment, but there’s a fine line between meaningful eye contact and the committed stare of a psychopath. May I suggest you occasionally glance at the wall or window behind the person you’re staring at? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/7 "2012-03-09T21:06:24Z")
But the wall or window doesn’t have nice breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/8 "2012-03-09T22:29:55Z")
No. But if your forcing direct eye contact for say 5 minutes could get a little uncomfortable, look off to the side once and awhile. I’ve been training a woman at work for the past week and she has very large breasts. I’m often saying to myself while working with her, “don’t look, don’t look,don’t look,” It was really hard today as she had them on display with a low cut sweather. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/9 "2012-03-09T22:43:56Z")
Is the staring considered unwelcome attention? Is the attention because of the sex of the other person? If the answer is Yes, then it is sexual harassment. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/10 "2012-03-09T22:47:15Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Huh? How could it be? I don’t even understand this, is it that hard not to look at a woman’s breasts constantly? Jeez Louise. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Sorry. What were you saying? I’m not sure but I think she was telling us to look at Louise’s breasts constantly. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/11 "2012-03-09T22:53:42Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Is the staring considered unwelcome attention? > > Is the attention because of the sex of the other person? > > If the answer is Yes, then it is sexual harassment. It’s not as simple as that. From the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision: “Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).” > **[Sexual Harassment](https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment)** > > Sexual Harassment Canadian case law is to the same effect. For non-severe acts, the victim needs to have communicated its opposition. I don’t think staring is so severe that it’s a once-and-you’re-done behavior. If it were as simple as that, then asking out a coworker who isn’t interested (before you know the coworker isn’t interested) would be sexual harassment. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/12 "2012-03-09T23:30:43Z")
It could be embarrassing if she catches you staring into her eyes and says, “Hey, my boobs are down here!” ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/13 "2012-03-10T00:23:42Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I think we should ask Sexual Harassment Panda. Having read the OP, I am not sad. So no, it’s not sexual harassment. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/14 "2012-03-10T01:11:12Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > It’s not as simple as that. From the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision: > > {snip} > > If it were as simple as that, then asking out a coworker who isn’t interested (before you know the coworker isn’t interested) would be sexual harassment. Well…there are a couple other tests that could be applied…is it persistent? Has the offender been asked to stop and did they? Those kind of things. But the behavior is within the broad category to be investigated. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/15 "2012-03-10T01:28:47Z")
> [@Ibanez](#): > > … **It was really hard today** as she had them on display with a low cut sweather. I’ll bet it was. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Say no more! ---
**Author:** ![FE3O4ENAIL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FE3O4ENAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FE3O4ENAIL)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/16 "2012-03-10T01:38:33Z")
I was speaking with the new girl about the system we use to determine what work gets done when. She asked about her needs, I told her I would make sure she comes first.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/17 "2012-03-10T02:02:43Z")
It’s clear from this thread that some people get jokes. Others, not so much. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/18 "2012-03-10T03:23:09Z")
Are your options really just eyeball to eyeball or eyeball to tits? I’m a grown man who appreciates the female form and I’ve only got one good focusing eye, and yet I can manage to hold down a conversation looking toward the person’s face without constantly holding locked eye to eye contact. Do you not know how to do this? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/19 "2012-03-10T03:25:46Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > It’s clear from this thread that some people get jokes. Others, not so much. > 😉 Some of us just assumed you had a neurotic either/or thing going on, and you’d have a bleating Rainman type fit if forced to find a middle ground. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318/20 "2012-03-10T03:57:13Z")
Were her breasts covered or uncovered? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sexual-harassment/615318.md?page=2)