Catcalling Collection (Part 2): There's a problem and women aren't very happy

What's the problem, you ask? 

Research carried out by silive.com in 2019 in Staten Island, New York, showed that women and young girls from as young as 13 have been catcalled at and one young woman said “… and when you deny them, they dtart calling you out and get angry” She further explained how uncomfortable she feels because the guys catcalling her are way older then her.

Another group of young women were asked if they had ever been catcalled. One, Abigail, 16, of New Springville, quickly replied:

“Yeah, at Port (Port Richmond High School),'' she said. “There are a lot of guys outside the school, who just look at you. It doesn’t matter if you’re with your parents; they’ll just stare at you or say ‘hey’ or whatever, and really focus on you.”

The problem stretches all the way schools! Which only magnifies the measure of importance on the issue.

Why is catcalling problematic?         

People who would presume that catcalling is okay (no idea what kind of psycho would think it’s okay) , it IS a form of harassment. A real compliment is not forced on someone but offered and you should definitely be polite and respectful towards the recipient. Catcalling favors objectification and disrespect. According to Sparklle Rainne of www.regain.us , a few reasons it is problematic include:

1.      Catcalling makes a lot of women feel unsafe

Let me paint the reader a quick picture: Imagine you’re walking down the street, minding you business and a random stranger just says “Hey! You’re really good looking” making their way towards you. Rejection is a blow to the ego after they have tried multiple times to probably take you home or ask for your number.

As a young woman that gets catcalled at, I’d have to say that it isn’t one the best feelings in the world when a man I don’t know starts shouting sexually suggestive comments when I’M LITERALLY JUST WALKING DOWN THE STREET TO GET A CAB! Sometimes I’d avoid going places or wearing certain things because I fear that I’ll get catcalled. Men disgustingly pointing out how my legs look in my shorts or the way my boobs look like “two juicy oranges” in my shirt (they say some pretty weird stuff too).

It’s not a feeling of “I need to run and get out of here” when women are faced with, let’s say, a group of strange men. Even though their intentions are not physical or meant to be insult, most women respond the same way: They’re uncomfortable, feel unsafe and displeased with the interaction and try hard to get out or avoid the situation.

2.      Catcalling can be psychologically damaging

A few studies have found that ladies report negative mental impacts after being catcalled, the most unmistakable being a particular and sudden drop in self-esteem and an increment in self-objectification. In spite of the defensive argument that catcalling could be a compliment and ought to lift self-esteem, numerous ladies feel unseen, unheard, and objectified by being shouted at, whistled at, or commented on when only their body is up for assessment and thought. Far from being harmless or safe, catcalling can deliver mental and emotional hurt on the women involved.

According to the founder of the non-profit organization, Stop Street Harassment, it can range from physically harmless behavior, such as "kissing noises", "stares", and "non-sexually explicit comments", to "more threatening behavior" like stalking, flashing, grabbing, sexual assault, and rape.

Whereas most catcalling men would use the arguement that their comments are simply complementary and ought to not be considered a huge deal, this sort of harassment can effortlessly instill fear and even leave long-lasting mental impacts.