Catcalling, also known as street harassment, is the act of whistling, shouting, or making a comment of sexual nature to a woman passing by. It objectifies women, making them feel like they are on-display for others’ enjoyment, and is anything but a compliment. Most women have grown accustomed to these relentless, everyday experiences as they walk down the street, but catcalling is not normal nor okay. It is a substantial issue that women deal with, and needs to be addressed.
According to IRLSchool, 85% of U.S. women surveyed said that they experienced street harassment before the age of 17, 10% of girls are catcalled before their 11th birthday,
77% of women respondents reported being followed by a man or group of men in a way
that made them feel unsafe in the past year, and 60% of women under 20 years old reported being catcalled within the last week. Many women and girls go through this every day of their lives. So what can we do to stop it?
Sophie Sandburg, founder of the Chalk Back movement, is dedicated to stopping street harassment around the world. A project she started encourages women to write down what their harassers said to them on a sidewalk with chalk and then post a picture of it with the hashtag “StopStreetHarrasment.” She also has some advice for what women can do if they get catcalled.
If you are around others and feel safe enough to do so, then you can use a simple comeback. Something simple yet firm has been proven to work, like “that’s harassment” or “don’t do that.” Another option is documenting it. You can write down what happened or even take a video if you feel comfortable. Harassment causes a sense of powerlessness, so documenting the situation takes back some of the power that was taken from you. Another important thing to do is sharing your story. You can talk about your situations with others to spread awareness about the issue and can lift some of the weight caused by the experience off your shoulders. The final piece of advice is just ignoring it. This is often your most powerful tool, since harassers enjoy attention. Not talking or looking at them takes away some of their power.
In 2014, video research was done on catcalling in NYC. Shoshana B. Roberts, a 24-year-old actress, had someone record her walking through various neighborhoods. She remained straight-faced in the video as male strangers greeted her, commented on her physical appearance, and in some cases followed her for several minutes. In ten hours, she was catcalled over 100 times.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you learned something about catcalling and how to help stop it. Do make sure to check out the other Women Empowered club articles on beauty standards, representation in the workplace, and the pink tax.