A new social experiment highlighting the difference between men and women being sexually harassed in public has gone viral.

YouTube sensation Joey Salads has exposed how it’s considered socially acceptable for a woman to sexually harass a man.

The shocking footage shows how people are willing to look the other way if the sexual harassment is directed towards a male, even if it is unwanted and aggressive.

Salads, a New York native, teamed up for the experiment with his female friend Lexi to see how the general public would react to him being sexually harassed by her in comparison to him outwardly sexually harassing her.

The results were shocking and unexpected.

View photos The sexual harassment social experiement was done by Joey Salads and his friend Lexi. Source: YouTube. More

View photos The social experiement has since gone viral. Source: YouTube. More

The shocking footage shows that onlookers would immediately come to Lexi's aid, however, when the roles were reversed people ridiculed Salads labeling him a “pansy” and “crazy” by members of the public even after they had witnessed him begging Lexi to “leave him alone”.

The footage was filmed by the pair inside a mall, in front of the unsuspecting public.

At the start of the footage, Lexi can be seen grabbing Joey and touching him inappropriately in front of a woman sitting on a bench.

“Stop touching me! Stop touching my butt,” he tells his female filming companion, but instead of offering help, the stranger berates him.

“Don't be such a pansy,” she says.

View photos The reaction from the public is very different when Lexi starts hitting on Salads. Source: YouTube. More

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