Not too long ago, a video that showed a woman walking down the street while men around New York City catcalled and commented on her, found its way all over Facebook feeds and other forms of social media. In the original video, she walked through the city over the course of 10 hours, never speaking, merely continuing down the road. The only voices in the video were that of some of the 100+ men that wanted to comment on her appearance or speak to her, while all she wanted was to continue on her way. The video was all too accurate for women that live in big cities who experience this firsthand. If you do go watch the video, maybe I should warn you about the many negative reaction videos that were created in response to this. And even if you don’t agree with the way the video was made or those who created it, it did spark some important conversations about catcalling that shouldn't be ignored.
Some of those conversations included the horrible opinion that catcalling is a compliment and that women want compliments from men and this kind of behavior “bolsters ego.”
But most women don’t dress to be complimented. Whether they are in a dress on the way to work or sweat pants on the way to school, they put these clothes on with the thought that they look good (to themselves! Not to others!) or because they were comfortable and ready for the day. The woman in the video was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers; that didn't stop the comments. An article responded that one of the only ways to avoid catcall harassment was to just never leave the house or don't be a woman. Catcalls could happen no matter what you wear.
There is a light in the dark: that horrible comment created some positive counter arguments on twitter, including the hashtag #DudesGreetingDudes. It featured statements like “Hey bro, you should smile more, you look really handsome when you smile.” All the tweets serve to argue that if catcalling is really a compliment, why don’t guys do it to other guys?
Catcalls are not compliments, not even the lowest form of compliment. They tend to be closer to harassment than compliment and make the girl just traveling down the road to get to her destination feel uncomfortable and sometimes very unsafe. Forget the original video itself and remember that this is something many women have to deal with in their everyday lives. Most of them do not feel complimented and are probably very tired and annoyed with the comments they hear when just walking down the street.
I can't believe people tried arguing those comments were actually compliments and that women should take them as such. I think it's quite clear that it's men being derogatory towards the women who pass them. The brain-less individuals writing articles, tweeting or verbally explaining that women are being complimented are obviously men.
ReplyDeleteI like how you asked why men don't do it to other men if they really are compliments that are being said. That's the answer, they're not. And those who are trying to say otherwise are either men themselves or men who do the catcalling actions.
Men don't compliment other men on their physical appearance -- they complement them on accomplishments. Like lifting heavy weights, or having an incredibly odious fart. And the men doing the street talking don't value women for their accomplishments, but for their appearance.
ReplyDeleteFinally someone said it, catcalls are usually pretty disgusting. It feels as if women are being summoned by random men on the street and are expected to be flattered for being noticed. There are even times where women don't reply and the men instantly retaliate by calling them a stuck up bitch.
ReplyDeleteSince when is denying a random mans comment considered being bitchy? There is no flattery in being whistled at on the street and these men obviously weren't shown how to demonstrate proper respect. However, I HAVE witnessed men compliment other men on the street, but not nearly in the way we get catcalled.
Cat-calling should stop, but a law prohibiting it won't help. You need to sway the way the public views the issue. Many people don't care so much about possible legal repercussions, but care quite a bit about their public image, but
ReplyDeletethe problem is that a social fix is hard to implement when the intended target is also a group that doesn't care much about mainstream social mores.