Catcalling- the art of whistling at women so they’re made aware of a man’s attraction to them. It happens daily, all over the world, and has been happening for as long as any member of our generation can remember. That mean’s it’s okay, right? Wrong. If anyone ever looked up the history of the catcall they’d find that it was used in the 1960’s as a noisemaker to express ones dissatisfaction regarding a play. Somehow, over time, it has evolved into men’s very own verbal, personal stamp of approval for women.
The popularity of the catcall practically invites men to not only look at, but to judge a woman solely based on her appearance and her body, and somehow makes it okay because they whistled at us. Some people may think it’s an overreaction to say that a catcall is a form of objectification and harassment, that it’s really just a compliment and women should be flattered. However, there are many less demeaning and more flattering ways to give women a compliment. Notice things about her aside from her body, how friendly she is, what an insightful comment she made in class, or maybe how nice her hair looks today. Women are generally self-conscious. Society has painted a portrait of what women are supposed to look like, it’s not pretty, and, rational or not, we feel like we have to live up to it. Catcalling makes us aware that you have been inspecting us, checking us for flaws and imperfections we already obsess over and wish we could change. Catcalling does not make women feel beautiful, it makes us hate our bodies even more than we already do.
This is wrong for several reasons, the biggest and most obvious one being: it’s our body. Not yours. Whistling at a woman gives you control over her body, emotions, and vulnerability. God made us all unique, each of us with our own distinguishing characteristics, ours are not yours to control as you please.
How can we change something that’s been so ingrained into today’s culture and media? We educate. Education is key. Educate yourself, your friends, your brothers on why it is wrong. And keep educating. Do you want to live in a world where your daughter walks down the street with strangers whistling at her, reminding her that her body is up to par today, that society approves of how she looks? Do you want to live in a world where your son is the one whistling at a passing stranger, telling her that she meets his expectations of what a woman should look like, that her body gets his approval? In her lifetime a woman will almost definitely be two things: a mother and a daughter. If you don’t degrade your mother and wouldn’t objectify your own daughter some day, why would you do it to someone else’s? The only difference between men and women is that we have to fight for our rights, don’t make the battle harder for us.