𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲

Can you recall the first time a stranger hurled an obscenity at you? Catcalling is a threatening behavior that far too many people, particularly women, endure. It can happen anywhere, even when you have headphones on and someone honks and yells derogatory comments at you. When and why does something so alienating, demeaning, and objectifying happen?

Catcalling is a sort of verbal harassment and abuse directed at people and it is often carried out in public places where it is difficult to avoid. Typically, a cat caller will criticize some aspect of someone’s appearance, most often their physique. It occurs when one person makes sexually suggestive remarks or whistles at another as they pass them on the street.

A common motivation for catcalling is the offender’s desire to attract the victim’s attention while insulting or demeaning them. Promoting their body as mere aesthetic or sexual objects is dehumanizing. Because of this, they are now in a position to help the catcaller feel better about themselves.

Usually, we think of guys when we hear a catcall, but women are just as likely to do it to men as other women. More often than not, those who engage in catcalling have the mistaken belief that what they are doing is not wrong, that the violation is not severe, or that they have the inherent and unalienable right to say anything they want.

Forms of sexual street harassment have far-reaching and devastating psychological impacts on their targets. Victims of crime often report feeling dehumanized and helpless in the aftermath. They may feel like outsiders in their towns, leading them to limit their mobility, avoid specific areas, and alter their usual routes. Some people may even avoid wearing exposing clothes to reduce the number of catcalls they hear. The most popular excuse offenders provide for this behavior is that they are just trying to “complement” their victim on how they look. It’s one thing to approach someone and compliment their beauty, but it’s quite another to exclaim, “damn!”, “hey sexy!” or whistle and blast the vehicle horn as she passes.

Catcallers may become hazardous if victims respond to them with violence or choose to ignore them altogether. When provoked, catcallers can engage in a hostile or threatening way, calling them derogatory names or even physically attacking them. Now, this is what we call harassment.

A delinquent should realize that catcalling is never endearing, humorous, or complimentary. It is humiliating and offensive to human dignity and sends a clear message to everyone that there are people who are being treated as commodities and objects. It reinforces the idea that a person has no worth and no rights. No one should whistle at anyone or treat them like things. There is more to someone than meets the eye. Whenever we go, everyone should be treated with the same degree of deference and courtesy as shown to anyone. Safe spaces are essential for everyone.

Ignore it if at all uncertain. If you are worried about making things worse, this is usually the wisest course of action. Harassers thrive in the spotlight; therefore, disregarding them is a powerful strategy to stop them from getting it.