Abstract
This study examines men's perspectives on sexual harassment against women in Kathmandu's public spaces by foregrounding harassment repertoires as performances of masculinity shaped by cultural meanings, justificatory vocabularies, and peer dynamics. Drawing on 48 semi-structured individual interviews and five group interviews with men, the research adopts an inductive approach to analyze how harassment is framed, enacted, and normalized. Findings discuss three key themes: (1) most men commonly normalize to justify verbal harassment as harmless fun or flirtation, denying its status as harassment unless it involves physical contact; (2) men deploy culturally embedded harassment repertoires including metaphors, object comparisons, animal analogies, and celebrity references to sexualize and objectify women's bodies; and (3) peer solidarity plays a significant role, with group settings fostering a culture where harassment is used to affirm masculinity and gain social approval. This research contributes to understanding how hegemonic masculinity is performed and sustained through unequal gendered relations and peer accountability in rapidly transforming urban societies.