On my drive down to NSU this year I stopped at a few gas stations along the way and at each one I experienced at least some form of street harassment or “catcalling”. A man over the age of 40 looked me up and down and initiated conversation. This one-sided conversation directed at me sounded less like throw away compliments and more like commands. He started with calling me “strong, happy, positive” which was written on my shirt, and ended with “beautiful, sexy” and an ongoing collection of others. The whole time I found myself looking around aimlessly for someone or somewhere to go to get away from him but to no avail. I felt cornered and in all honestly, I had no clue what to do. Looking back on this encounter and on the many other encounters I’ve experienced, I’ve always said thank you to the person and walked away. But, I don’t want to say that anymore.
According to a study conducted by ILR and Hollaback!, a non-profit organization, 85 percent of women in the United States experience street harassment before the age of 17. So I can’t be alone when I say that catcalling is a prevalent issue and can be a scary experience. These experiences are usually initiated by strangers who have unknown strengths and motives and as a female college student with no self-defense experience, it’s debilitating. The unknown when it comes to these situations is why I don’t try and defend myself. The fear of not knowing if this stranger might just back off or act in anger once I stand up for myself is why I and many other women I know just say thank you and walk away.
An article on Bustle, an online American women’s magazine, asked ten women’s advice they had for other females in these situations and the answers were varied. Some opted to just say “No, thank you” or outrightly ignore the interactions while others said to fire back, report it to police or protect yourself. But, all of these suggestions depend on this interaction and on the confidence of the individual. For someone like me, I can’t say something back, I’m too scared of the consequences of what could happen and I can bet there are people out there that feel the same way.
Yet, there are many people that criticise women and men who experience catcalling. Some saying they can’t take a compliment or read into a situation. But it’s easy to distinguish between the two. For instance, “I like your pants” and “I like the way you look in those pants”.
There is also another clear factor that separates a compliment from a catcall: lingering. In a study conducted by the Youth Development Study, 27 percent of women surveyed pin-pointed common harassment behaviors as lingering, excessive staring or repeatedly “asking out.”
In most situations, catcalls include cornering, lingering or following the individual with the verbal interaction and that in itself adds eerie vibe to the whole situation.
But we shouldn’t have to feel this way. I should be able to walk down the street without unsolicited interactions pointing out the way I look or what these individuals would like to do with me. Simple as that. I should feel safe walking to work, or meeting up with my friends but that just isn’t the case. For those confident enough to stand up for themselves and feel secure in responding in these interactions: great. But if you’re like me, and you don’t like confrontation and are afraid of the consequences, than there really isn’t much to do then say thank you and move on with your day. I just wish there was something else.
