"Hey, mami, how are you doing?"
This is a question that all girls have probably heard a version of while walking down the street. Regardless of age, girls are used to being catcalled no matter where we go. Sometimes it is just people shouting something from their car along the lines of "wow you are beautiful," sometimes it turns creepy when they ask things like "how old are you?" and it turns truly frightening when they slow down or begin to follow you. The number of times something like this has happened to me is too many to count on my own two hands.
At its most basic level, catcalling works to simply make the person who receives it uncomfortable but at its worst it causes that person to fear for their life. Now I know when people read this they are going to think "wow way to be dramatic Emilia," but it isn't funny when you are 13 and walking home and a car slows down next to you and begins to follow you and doesn't leave you alone until you pretend that your friend's house is yours.
And don't tell me that catcalling is "just a joke" and that I shouldn't be "such a feminist." If you are going to roll your window down and tell me a good pun or why the chicken crossed the road it wouldn't be a problem, but if you are going to shout something derogatory, disgusting or demeaning roll your window back up and act like an adult.
Now I always ask myself why catcalling has become such an accepted part of our culture. Maybe it is because we have accepted that what someone wears decides how they should be treated or even whether they want to have sex or not. Maybe it is because we have accepted that certain members of our society are just a commodity to be used and enjoyed. Maybe it is because we have accepted that other people being comfortable isn't as important as supporting toxic masculinity because nothing says you are a macho guy like hollering "nice ass" at a random teenager.
Cops, garbage men, random people. Catcalling isn't something that only one type of person does, but rather something that all types of people engage in doing. It is something that really is only done to "benefit" or entertain men and belittle women. If you are reading this I hope you realize that regardless of how meaningless you think it is, the effect it has on people is incredibly negative.
So let's stop this and start respecting others. Is that too much to ask?
