Culture
When Women Walk the City
In a new book, the writer Lauren Elkin excavates the female flâneur in Paris, Tokyo, New York, Venice, and London.
I choose to walk my city whenever possible, usually alone, despite the fact that I, a woman, should be afraid to—or so I’ve heard from years of well meaning questions. Are you sure you’re comfortable going so far? Don’t you want a friend to go with you? Why not take an Uber?
It’s not that I’m ignorant to the bad things that can befall women in public, nor that I’m particularly “brave” to set foot to concrete. Women (especially trans women, and women of color) run risks anywhere we go. But neither “foolish” nor “fearless” tell very much about what happens when female feet hit the sidewalk. There is much more to say, and more for women to gain.