Image: iStock.com / ciricvelibor

For many women, getting ready for a run involves more than checking the weather or choosing comfortable kit. It can also mean planning routes, sharing locations, carrying a phone and deciding what to wear in ways that feel protective rather than practical. These small adjustments are rarely visible, but they reflect a wider reality. Many women routinely adapt their behaviour in public spaces to manage the risk of harassment.

These adaptations are evidence that harassment happens – and that women respond to it. The burden of managing safety so often falls on women themselves. It shapes our everyday decisions about movement, visibility and participation in exercise. But why? And can anything be done to change it?

Personal experience

When I first built the confidence to wear shorts for a local run from home – a short 5K – I was harassed within the first 400 metres. Three cars slowed down beside me, with drivers shouting or honking their horns. It unsettled me enough that I turned back, changed my shorts and went out again. That time, there was no harassment.

Many of the incidents I’ve experienced have involved men from my own community. This has made me reflect on how cultural attitudes around women’s bodies, modesty and visibility can shape behaviour in public spaces. For some women, harassment is compounded by the fear of judgement from within their own communities as well as the unwanted attention from strangers. It becomes a multi-layered experience, where women are managing both personal safety and social perception at the same time.

Cultural consideration

Having done research, I know that my experience is not unique. Women from South Asian backgrounds have described similar tensions between their comfort, their safety and the cultural expectations of those around them.

Simran, 46, from West London, started running in the last year and has always wanted to wear shorts. Her husband encourages her to wear them, but she doesn’t feel comfortable or safe. “I’m Punjabi, and all our lives we have been told to cover up and not show skin. Wearing shorts in certain places… I just wouldn’t do it. Especially in and around West London, where I know some men within my community may make comments. It would encourage unwanted attention, and I just don’t feel confident enough to do it.”

“It’s sad because women should be able to wear what they want, but as a British Punjabi woman I don’t feel I can. The fear of judgement stops me – when really it shouldn’t.”

Harassment is not confined to any one race, culture or class. Women experience it across all communities and environments. However, it’s clear that racial and cultural dynamics can definitely influence how women are perceived in public spaces. Some women from minority ethnic backgrounds describe feeling more visible or more scrutinised, particularly in spaces where they feel underrepresented or subject to community expectations. As a result, clothing choices can become a negotiation between comfort, identity, belonging and safety – rather than a simple practical decision.

Dressing for safety?

I spoke to women about what goes through their minds when getting dressed for a run. Priya from Phoenix Running Manchester says: “I have consciously decided not to wear short shorts or vests during summer to avoid unwanted attention when I am running alone. After experiencing unsavoury remarks from men, either in cars or from passers-by, I made this decision this for my own sanity.

“I intentionally wear longer shorts and baggy T-shirts to avoid male attention. I’ve even stopped cycling because of harassment, but I continue to run, simply by changing what I wear.”

Charissa Johnson, 45, from Rickmansworth, shares a similar perspective. “I wear dark-coloured clothes – black leggings and tops – to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.”

“Safety is a silent companion. I make sure my phone is fully charged, and my location is shared. As a larger woman, I am body conscious. I want to avoid attention while still remaining recognisable, so I often wear branded headbands from Black Girls Do Run UK.”

Sally Chiwuzie, a British Nigerian runner, reflects on the tension between practicality and safety: “Harassment affects what I wear when running. In summer, shorts and a vest are practical, but their visibility can invite unwanted attention.

“I’ve changed my running outfit because of safety concerns, especially when running in the evening. I dress to minimise attention rather than for comfort. I’m more likely to choose longer leggings or a looser top, even if it is warm. The mental load of negotiating perception and safety makes choosing a running outfit feel heavier than it should.”

“I remember running with my Gen Z daughter and noticing how many cars honked as we ran past,” she adds. “She was simply running, yet the attention felt intrusive. It struck me how early women begin navigating this kind of experience.”

Does clothing help reduce harassment?

Harassment is rarely random. It often reflects targeting behaviour, where individuals assess who appears isolated, distracted or less likely to challenge inappropriate actions. Does clothing actually affect those things?

Vicki Broadbent from Yorkshire shares her personal experience: “Men have shouted, whistled and followed me. I wear modest sportswear, loose clothing and cover up as much as possible to reduce attention. Even then, harassment persists. The issue lies with the perpetrators.”

Liz Newcomer, founder of the Resiliency in Running podcast, echoes a similar sentiment that, no matter how you adapt, the problem will persist. “I have learned that clothing has nothing to do with being harassed. Men harass regardless of what you wear. So now, I choose what works best for comfort and support.”

How do we stop harassment?

So, if wearing different clothing isn’t guaranteed to help, what needs to change in order for women to feel safe? As Vicki said, the issue lies with the perpetrators. But it is still women who are the ones tackling the issue.

“It is unacceptable that women should feel the need to change how they exercise, or the clothing they wear, because of fears of harassment,” says Andrea Simon, Victims’ Commissioner for London. So, what can be done?

“It is vital that women’s reports of verbal or physical harassment are taken seriously and responded to appropriately,” says Andrea. “Efforts to prevent harassment are equally important. This needs to be done through education to tackle misogyny in schools, wider public awareness, and bystander campaigns that empower people to call out harassment when they witness it.”

Kate Dale, Director of Marketing at Sport England and This Girl Can, adds: “Many women feel uncomfortable getting active outdoors due to harassment. The responsibility should never be on women to censor themselves. We must address cultural attitudes, raise awareness and educate to ensure women can move freely and safely, without fear or compromise.”

Tracey Francis, Head of Participation Programmes at England Athletics, stresses inclusion: “Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and confident in their own skin. The choice to wear shorts, crop tops or any clothing should never be a source of fear or judgement.”

Call for change

Whether or not it actually helps to reduce harassment, my research this summer has shown that women are still constantly adapting their clothing, timing and route running choices because harassment exists and because the responsibility for managing risk is placed solely on them.

The goal for the future is not simply for women to feel braver, more resilient or better prepared. It has to be something more fundamental than that: for women to have the same freedom as men:

•  The freedom to choose shorts because it is hot.
• The freedom to run outside in the darker months.
• The freedom to run without safety plans.
• The freedom to dress for comfort, not protection.
• The freedom to focus on the run itself — not the risk around it.

Until women can step out of the door without asking themselves what they should wear to stay safe, there is still work to do.