By Erin Verch ’24 and Jack Leitch ’24
It first happened to me when I was 13 years old. I remember it like it was yesterday, even after all these years. I was driving with my older brother with the window rolled down, when two 20-year-old men yelled that I looked “so sexy!” They giggled as I shrunk in my seat, praying for the light to turn green and trying to understand what I did to deserve this. I was told this would happen when I got older that I should be careful of walking alone at night in provocative clothes. But I wasn’t alone, I was in a car, it was daylight, I wasn’t wearing provocative clothes, and I was only 13. I thought I did everything right. But it didn’t matter. All it took was two people to completely shatter any sense of security I thought I was entitled to. I wasn’t “asking for it” and yet I got it.
Catcalling, like many female-centric issues, is deemed controversial in our society. While some people advocate against it, victims are more commonly blamed, and the issue is seen as a normal part of womanhood. But if you have experienced it, you understand the hidden threat behind every syllable, the objectification in every “innocent” phrase, and the fear that it doesn’t just end with a comment – that maybe you will become like those girls on the news.
Catcalling is thought to have originated from a cartoon created by a man named Tex Avery. In said cartoon, a wolf “whistles and drools” over an attractive woman. The wolf’s effort is met with appreciation, and the woman goes to sit with the wolf. From there, the act of “wolf whistling”, or “cat calling” as it is now referred to as, has become the term to describe sexual comments made towards women, usually strangers. This comic began the incorrect idea that something such as catcalling would be seen as a compliment, and this veiled harassment has only progressed from there. Many men now use catcalling as a form of intentional objectification. Whether this is because they are attempting to cover their own insecurities, impress their friends, or whatever other excuse, catcalling is an extremely prevalent issue.
According to the nonprofit group “Stop Street Harassment,” nearly 81 percent of women under 40 experienced catcalling of some kind. This includes everything from a joking comment to straight up verbal harassment. Furthermore, according to a study by the ILR School of Cornell University, 77 percent of women under 40 have been followed by a group of men in the last year. Another 50 percent of women under 40 have been physically attacked or groped by a street harasser. The most common argument against the harm of catcalling and other forms of sexual harassment is the phrase “not all men,” as in “not all men are harassers.” Statistically, this is true. Most men never have and never will engage in catcalling or other forms of sexual harassment, and it is important to recognize that fact. However, a statement such as “not all men…” misses the point entirely. The point being that too many men catcall.
After my first time being catcalled, I became hyper aware of my surroundings, scared that every comment could result in being followed, kidnapped, assaulted or worse. I always walked with two or more people, always checked behind me, and I never had my car window rolled down. Some people told me that what those men said was a compliment, but a compliment shouldn’t make me flinch when a car drives by.
Whether catcallers justify their actions in the name of flattery or by stating that it was “just a joke,” their comments have devastating consequences on their victims’ mental health. Women who have been catcalled often report a decline in emotional well-being, specifically with drops in self-esteem and an increase in self-objectification being the most reported. The website Regain, disputes that claim, arguing that “Although certainly not every single person who has ever been catcalled feels they are in mortal peril”- like my example in a secure vehicle, accompanied by an adult – “an overwhelming majority felt uncomfortable, unsafe, and displeased with the interaction and worked hard to get away.” Catcalling can have severe legal implications for the perpetrator as well. Depending on the severity of the catcalling and/or what was said, catcalling can land a person anywhere from a $1,000-$5,000 fine, or between 90 days (3 months) and 3 years in prison.
Getting catcalled at school broke new levels of security that I didn’t know were possible. I thought school was the one place that I could feel safe and taken seriously, but it’s difficult to be seen as professional when classmates sexualize my uniform. They make comments that they think are funny, but in reality, they silence me, reducing me to a sexual object. And catcalling doesn’t discriminate. Any gendered person can feel the fear and objectification of getting sexually harassed in a place they feel safe. School is meant to prepare us for future careers and growing up, but how are the adults of tomorrow supposed to be prepared if they put down others and harass their classmates for fun? Some argue that boys mature slower than girls, which insults men for their low maturity, which is an unfair generalization, but it also, forces women to “grow up” when they are younger in comparison to their male counterparts. Harassing another student isn’t a display of low maturity, it’s a display of low character. No matter the act or the gender of the person, what is wrong is wrong.
Catcalling is not something that should be done in any situation. Many people complain how “you can’t even talk to a woman these days”. However, this is simply not true. There are simple and easy alternatives to catcalling. Respectfully talking to a person privately to compliment them, as opposed to making a vulgar passing comment, is the most basic solution. Another alternative is to say nothing at all; if an attractive person walks by, there is no reason to comment on it, they are simply an attractive person walking by. At the end of the day, there is no good excuse for catcalling, and a plethora of reasons to advocate against it. And that is the important thing.
While it is certainly good to not participate in it yourself, speaking out against catcalling is extraordinarily important too. By raising awareness about catcalling and sexual harassment, we hope more people will speak out against it and support the women around them who more than likely suffer from some aspect of harassment or objectification.
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