‘Hey, baby! What? Say thank you, it’s a compliment.’ This message comes in different forms, with different words and from different people, but most women I know have had it shouted at them. Those words were yelled at me when I was walking through NYC with my mother. I was 15.
Every woman I know has experienced harassment in public places, ranging from being honked at by strangers to being touched inappropriately on the tube. Many dismiss catcalling as harassment and view it as a weekly occurrence; something they will have to face every time they leave their house. It has become almost a mantra for women to say to themselves ‘keep your head down, walk quickly and make no eye contact.’ 64% of women have been victims of unwanted sexual harassment in public spaces. This is not acceptable.
Catcalling is often labelled as a joke or compliment, but it is FAR from this. Not only does it make women feel uncomfortable and unsafe, it objectifies and sexualizes them. It makes women feel like their body is not their own. It makes us feel disgusted to the core. Catcalling occurs regardless of what people are wearing, but many women fear that at summertime, as the number of clothing decreases, the catcalling increases. We should not feel unsafe walking to school, work or to get groceries. It is important to note, victims are never to blame, whether or not they were intoxicated, wearing ‘revealing’ clothing or walking at night.
When boys are growing up, we excuse their violence and misguided ways of expressing their emotions. If a boy pulls a girl’s ponytail, it is dismissed, because he ‘must have a crush on her’. We must teach boys that when they wish to express their affection for someone, they should do so in a consensual, peaceful manner. We need to teach boys how to accept the word ‘no’. At schools, dress code rules are made around boys. Girls can’t wear crop tops that expose their shoulders or shorts that show their thighs, because it will ‘distract’ boys. ‘Boys will just be boys.’ It is time we start teaching boys as they are growing up to treat women with respect. Not as objects.
Written by Anoushka Joshi
Media by Ben Hyland
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