Ignored Harrassment
March 21, 2018
The worst part about leaving the house as a person, particularly female, is not whether or not you might be late for school/work or if you are going to be attacked by a butterfly, but rather the discriminating calls from that random lurker across the street. Catcalling is verbal sexual harassment which undermines the value of a person, simply because another couldn’t control themselves. C was one of the victims to catcalling.
“I was catcalled by random bystanders during a vacation with my family, some other close relatives, and family friends,” she said.
C had been out with four friends when two cyclists passed by, whistling and yelling a them to raise their shirts and expose their breasts. They had all been wearing a loose fitting shirt with shorts to combat the summer heat.
“I was a thirteen year old girl,” C said. “There was so many questions running through my head. I wasn’t sure how to react; we all just watched them disappear down the street.”
Questions remain, unfortunately:
- Why would someone harass others in such a provocative way?
- Who is going to take the blame?
- How often do others get catcalled?
- If you ever catcalled someone, what made you do it? Do you regret it?
- How can we stop this?
- Has a guy ever been catcalled?