Catcalling is defined as a "whistle, shout, or comment of a sexual nature towards a woman." The definition states that these remarks are directed towards women, yet my first experience with catcalling was as a teenager.

As soon as I learned to drive and got my license, I went job hunting. I put on my business dress, wore heels and perfected my hair and makeup. I really wanted a job and went to a local shopping mall to go store-to-store and ask if there were any openings. There were no openings at all and at the end of the day I felt defeated as I walked outside the mall back to my car. I passed a man smoking with his friend outside a bookstore. They were older than me, had beards and all I could focus on was the smoke filling my lungs. I have asthma, so smoke throws me off my game, which is why when one of the men stubbed out his cigarette and stared me down, I didn’t know how to react. I was already in a defeated mood and didn't feel too great, so his behavior made me more than uncomfortable. He proceeded to tell me I was pretty and how he couldn’t smoke in front of such a pretty lady. He then started singing Pretty Woman with his friend as I kept my head down and walked as fast as I could in my heels. They started calling after me and would sing louder as I power walked myself to my car.

I was scared and automatically locked all the doors in my car as I texted practically everyone I knew. The myriad of reactions to my experience really shocked me. One person said they wanted to fight him for me while another said “Oh yeah, I hate it when that happens.” So many people brushed it off as a normal occurrence, which scared me to death. Here I was, an underage girl getting catcalled while everyone told me it happens all the time. No one was shocked that an underage girl was getting catcalled.

This shouldn’t be normal. The fear I felt shouldn’t be a normal feeling. A woman should be able to dress up nicely and look great without getting jeered at. Underage girls should not experience this, even if they look older than they are. It doesn’t matter their age, you shouldn’t catcall anyone in general.

It isn’t a good feeling to be catcalled, so why do men still do it? Do they expect us to turn around and actually thank them? What is their desired outcome in this situation and how realistic is it?

I'm not saying every man goes around whistling and singing Pretty Woman to underage women. However, I am saying that it has become a norm. It may be frowned upon, but it still happens. We weren't the only people outside that bookstore. In fact, there were tons of bystanders that watched the men sing and shout at me. There were several responsible adults that could have stepped in and helped me, but instead they watched me briskly walk to my car with tears threatening to fall.

My biggest concern is that I was just a teenager trying to get a job. I was wearing a conservative business dress and yet I still got harassed. I've been told that I look young for my age and have even been asked if I'm ready to start high school. If these men easily catcalled a 17 year old trying to get a job, I can only imagine how they address other women.

Now I can't go to that mall without thinking about my experience. I can't walk past that bookstore without hearing the tune of what used to be my favorite song. These men may think it was harmless to sing and yell at me, but they really did affect my life.

I'm not the only person that has been jeered at. I know there are tons of other people that experience that uneasiness I felt. We may brush it off and say "Oh, I hate when that happens," but every time we say that, we're allowing the harassers to get away with it. We need to stop sweeping this issue under the rug and start calling people out on it. Catcalling is harassment and harassment should not be a norm in today's society.