Every woman at least once in their life gets cat-called. She is minding her own business walking down the street and she walks by a man who whistles at her or says something derogatory towards her. This is objectification. Objectification is the idea that women are nothing more than sexual objects. It is the idea that women are made for nothing more than viewing pleasure.
I have been cat-called a time or a two and by living in a college town it has become a more frequent thing. However, no one had ever grabbed me or touched me in a public place to make it a point that they were talking to me.
A few weekends ago I went out with some friends to a club and we were dancing and singing and having a great time. I was facing my friend jumping around and singing my heart out to the latest pops songs the DJ’s were playing when I felt someone grab my rear. The club was packed from wall to wall and I looked around thinking, “What the heck just grabbed me?” I shook it off and continued to dance. At this point, the guy friend that was with us had found his way back to us and was dancing with us as well. I felt it again. However, this time it was a more aggressive grab that made me jump and grab my back side as I looked to the left and saw the man who grabbed me. I was disgusted that someone would have the nerve to look at me as no more than a literal piece of meat. I grabbed my guy friend and yelled over the music, “Dance with me!” I made him stand to the left to block me off from the man who touched me. My friend was really confused as to why I pulled him towards me and was grabbing him so close, so I yelled, “That guy right there touched my butt and he keeps trying to grab me” My friend immediately clenched his fists and yelled, “Do you want me to say something to him?” to which I responded with a simple shake of the head "no" and continued to dance.
After a while the man that grabbed me walked away as I assume he thought my friend was my boyfriend.
But it shouldn’t have come to that at all.
He shouldn’t have walked away just because he thought I had a boyfriend.
He shouldn’t have touched me to begin with.
My body is mine.
My body is not something to gawk over and stare so hard at me that I can feel you taking my clothes off with your eyes.
Sure, I was wearing a short romper that hugged my curves a little more but what I wear will never justify someone touching me inappropriately. My choice of wardrobe is not an invitation to my body.
As a society as a whole we need to stop objectifying women’s bodies and looking at them as something soley for a man's pleasure. A woman is allowed to simply say “No” and people should have enough respect to walk away and leave her alone.
I am allowed to feel beautiful and wear clothes I like that hug my figure because I love my figure.
I am allowed to go out to clubs with my friends without the fear of having a guy come up to me and grab me or try to talk to me after I have made it explicitly clear that I’m not interested.
I have the right to be a woman and not have to fear the worst every time I go out just because a guy can’t take “No” for an answer.
