A popular influencer’s shocking holiday video has exposed an “uncomfortable” truth about being a woman in 2026.
Evelyn Ellis, who rose to fame after appearing on MAFS in 2023, is currently in Monaco, an independent microstate situated on the French Riviera, where she’s been busy working as a content creator.
But while filming in her villa, the 30-year-old realised she wasn’t the only person who had hit the record button, a fact that left her feeling “unsafe” and “uncomfortable”.
In the footage, Ellis could be seen wearing a sequined bikini top as she lounged by a pool, with the unknown man – dressed only in a pair of navy shorts – clearly visible behind her.
At one point he calls out to her from the street to get her attention, but for the majority of the time, he stands there filming her on his mobile phone from.
Ellis, who lives in Sydney with her partner Duncan James, eventually turns around, shouting out: “Are you OK?”
After capturing the incredibly creepy encounter, the former reality star shared the footage to social media.
“This man stood outside filming me for 45 minutes while I was in the privacy of my own villa,” she wrote on the alarming clip.
“I hate how unsafe and uncomfortable some men make women feel.”
Sadly, Ellis isn’t wrong. Data shows that an alarming majority of women report experiencing discomfort, harassment, or feeling unsafe around men.
A staggering 78 per cent of Australian women have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces, and often it occurs without any intervention, which only “deepens the trauma”, one concerning report found.
The most common forms of harassment endured include inappropriate and unwanted sexual looks or gestures, such as staring or leering, that leave victims feeling uncomfortable.
Other examples include sexually suggestive or intrusive comments, whistling, unwanted touching and even somebody exposing themselves in a sexual manner.
In more recent times, this has expanded to include filming women without their consent, such as the experience Ellis documented.
However, other types of street harassment include “accidentally” brushing against someone, invading a person’s space, pressing or rubbing against the person’s body, the 2022 Stand Up report added.
“Street harassment is not always clear to identify. Its often very subtle and insidious. But whenever it’s unwanted verbal, non-verbal, physical conduct of a sexual nature, it’s harassment,” it determined.
In Australia, it is against the law for a person to sexually harass anyone else in many areas of public life.
While it is not a crime exclusively committed by men, the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) found women were more likely to experience sexual harassment by a male than a female.
Whereas men were about as likely to experience sexual harassment by a male as by a female.
But alarmingly, harassment is just one of the reasons many women feel unsafe when going about their daily life, which is why Ellis – and so many other women – have had enough.
“This is so scary WTF,” wrote one in the comments section of her TikTok video.
“Vile behaviour,” noted another.
As one declared it “weird”, while someone else stressed, “that’s so cooked”.
“Ew. I hate men,” raged one woman.
“Girl this is NOT OK,” shared someone else.
While another asked: “WTF, I hope you are OK. So sorry this happened to you.”
Melbourne psychologist Carly Dober, from Enriching Lives Psychology, explained the psychological aftermath of being harassed can have a lasting impact.
“In the short term, women might feel uncomfortable, annoyed, and unsafe, and they might change their daily movements to avoid experiencing the behaviour again,” she told news.com.au.
“For some women, this might be incredibly destabilising if they have a background of trauma or sexual assault. Others may become quite depressed, depending on their background and history.”
She also had a response to the few, presumably male, commenters who insisted on writing: “Not all men.”
“It shuts down an important conversation that women are trying to have,” Ms Dober explained.
“People have never stated that all men are harmful and cause harm, however a disproportionate amount of abuse crimes and harms against women are enacted by men.”
News.com.au has also contacted Ellis for further comment.
