A reflective essay on the normalization of harassment, exploring how Mexico’s president’s assault exposes society’s quiet acceptance of everyday violations.
The normalization of harassment is one of the most disturbing yet invisible forces shaping modern life. When Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum was groped in public despite her position and security, the world was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: if such an act can happen to a head of state, what hope exists for ordinary women who face the same daily violations without cameras or protection? This event did not simply reveal a criminal act; it exposed how deeply the normalization of harassment runs in our collective consciousness.
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When violation becomes routine
In many parts of the world, harassment has become so ordinary that people no longer flinch when it happens. Women adapt instead of protesting. They change their routes, modify their behavior, and prepare their defenses before stepping out. In Mexico, this has been the silent rule of survival for decades, and that silence is the breeding ground for the normalization of harassment.
If even a president is touched without consent, in front of crowds, it becomes a chilling reflection of how desensitized societies have grown. Every shrug, every dismissive comment, every “that’s just how it is” feeds a culture where the extraordinary becomes normal and the unacceptable becomes everyday.
Silence and shame: The unseen weight
The most painful aspect of harassment is not always the act itself but the silence that follows it. Millions of women endure inappropriate behavior in workplaces, schools, and public spaces, but rarely report it. They fear disbelief, ridicule, or blame. Society tells them to be cautious, not bold, and to endure rather than to resist.
This collective quiet reinforces the normalization of harassment. By turning fear into a habit, the world has built invisible prisons around its women, cages of expectation, shame, and resignation. The result is an illusion of normality that conceals trauma behind calm smiles.
Machismo, culture, and the inheritance of power
Harassment thrives where culture excuses it. In Mexico, as in many patriarchal societies, machismo, which is the glorification of male dominance, fuels the normalization of harassment. Boys are taught strength through control; girls are taught patience through submission. These lessons, whispered in homes and shouted in media, create generations that mistake intimidation for attraction.
To challenge this culture, reform must start at the roots. Laws can punish, but only awareness and education can prevent. Societies must teach empathy before authority, respect before desire, and equality before power.
The bystander’s silence
Perhaps the most haunting element of Sheinbaum’s incident is the crowd. People stood by: some shocked, some recording, most unsure. This mirrors daily life: when harassment unfolds, witnesses freeze. Inaction, however, is not neutral; it is participation through passivity.
The normalization of harassment survives because too many people choose silence over courage. To change this pattern, the world needs not just victims who speak up but witnesses who step in. Every act of intervention chips away at a culture that confuses politeness with complicity.
Digital outrage vs real change
The viral video of the assault spread within hours, sparking global condemnation. But as with many social media storms, outrage burns bright and fades quickly. Tweets are not justice; hashtags are not healing.
The true challenge lies beyond the digital echo. Will this moment lead to sustained reform, or will it dissolve into online noise? The normalization of harassment won’t end with awareness alone; it demands consistency, empathy, and education that outlast trending cycles.
Acts of resistance
President Sheinbaum’s response, which was pressing charges and demanding national legal reform, stands as an act of resilience and leadership. But real resistance begins with ordinary people reclaiming their right to safety and dignity. Each time someone challenges an inappropriate joke, supports a survivor, or refuses silence, they weaken the foundation of the normalization of harassment. Change begins with consciousness. The first victory is no longer pretending this is normal.
When I reflect on this issue, I see moments when I, too, have remained silent. Times when discomfort felt safer than confrontation. That self-awareness is painful yet necessary. The normalization of harassment is not just a societal issue; it’s a personal one. It lives in every compromise, every withheld protest, every fear of being “too loud.”
The journey to change begins with acknowledgment. Once we recognize the pattern, we can begin to rewrite it.
The normalization of harassment is a mirror of humanity’s indifference. In another way, a reflection of how silence, fear, and tradition conspire to protect injustice. The assault on Mexico’s president was not merely an attack on one woman; it was an indictment of a global mindset that still allows harassment to exist as background noise in everyday life.
Breaking this cycle demands collective courage from governments that must enforce laws, from men who must unlearn privilege, and from women who must reclaim their voices. The goal is not only to condemn harassment but to make it unthinkable again, to restore outrage where apathy once lived, and dignity where silence once ruled.
