Everyday Sexism website a global hit, much to British founder Laura Bates' surprise

When Laura Bates was followed home one night by a man from her bus, she didn't think much of it. Such incidents seemed to be part of living in London.

But the writer said several similar situations followed within a few days.

A stranger shouted obscenities at her out of a car window and another propositioned her forcefully in a cafe. A third groped her on a bus, and commuters looked away when she spoke up.

She was startled not so much by the incidents, but how accustomed she had become to brushing such behaviour aside and not taking action.

"I started talking to other women, and I couldn't believe how many stories they had. I think many of us just think 'maybe I'm unlucky'," Bates, 27, said. "Just like me, so many of them said 'until you asked me, I've never talked to anyone about this'."

Those conversations triggered the birth of the Everyday Sexism project, a website that Bates set up for women to share their experiences of sexism and harassment in their daily lives.