A whistle and a wink is not all it takes. Catcalling in this modern day is still alive and well, and honestly, I don’t understand why.

Right off the bat, men are generally more guilty of this than women. Yes, it happens on both ends. A topic like this can be heavily debated and fingers can be pointed to any human being, despite what they identify themselves as. But either way, let’s admit that the problem lies in a man’s immediate actions when seeing a woman.

Let’s put it straight. Generally, most women will not swoon at the sight of wink from a stranger who continues to purr objectifying “compliments” from a reasonable distance. It’s not flattering.

More often than not, I have to think twice about being safe where I’m going at night. Being safe is important already for any reasonable and prudent person, but knowing that I’m alone at night as a woman who might look like she can’t defend herself, my fear heightens.

My fear is not irrational, here. From what we hear on the news, from friends and family, or even from articles like these - sexual assaults do happen from strangers. Although the statistic proves that assault occurs mostly from those you know, there is still a percentage of those who

Women have a right to be scared. One out of six American women has been a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime, and that statistic is absolutely terrifying.

A lot of women are told that they’re being too emotional, that they’re being unreasonable. But catcalls aren’t always just petty compliments on the street.

It makes me feel pressured to dress a certain way to avoid situations like this. It’s not just me, either, I’ve had numerous conversations about how tiring and scary it can be when men catcall. It’s almost a universal instinct for all women to walk faster, avoid eye contact or call for help. Any barrier of communication aside, a woman should always try make sure to look out for other women. It’s in the code.

To be honest, dressing to prevent unwelcome eyes is a conscious coping mechanism for some women, and usually, it’s in their best interest. But the issue also arises - why do we have to dress conservatively to avert prying eyes? Why can’t the other sex learn that this isn’t okay?

I remember when I was in high school, girls would constantly get dresscoded because they were wearing shorts that were shorter than their middle finger, shirts with holes in them, or tank tops. Some of these were understandable - wearing clothes that can be categorized as underwear to a place of education might not be the best idea. But to stop women from being expressive or just simply comfortable, is disappointing. A man’s tendencies to ‘get distracted’ by a woman’s choice of clothing that day should not be the fault of that woman. If anything, awareness about this sort of issue should be taught right then, instead of forcing women to conform to a certain wardrobe for the majority of their lives.

We really do need to think twice about the issues that arise from such a “simple act” like catcalling. Progressive times or not, we still encounter it. There really isn’t a grand solution, but the small steps like awareness and thinking deeper about why it is an issue, can help us as a society to resolve it. Also, here’s a wonderful video by Anna Akana that relates to catcalling, or another article to read about the consequences.