When I step out onto West Kennedy Blvd., a car honks and I look up to see a guy hanging out of the window. I notice a group of young men staring at me and try to avoid eye contact, but inevitably they yell something like, “Hey, girl, where you going?” Another man whistles. All of this disgusting behavior falls under the category of catcalling, also known as street harassment. A “catcall” is when someone (usually a man) whistles, shouts or makes a comment “of a sexual nature to a woman passing by,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Catcalling is a normalized form of harassment that is prevalent in many different cultures.
A catcall is not a compliment. Though the men doing it may think that they are paying the woman compliments in letting her know how attractive they think she is, in truth it is only objectifying her body and can make her feel very uncomfortable. When I tell people how catcalling makes me feel and how I wish it would stop, some say, “It’s a compliment, don’t get mad. He thinks you’re pretty.” People just don’t seem to understand that catcalls do not make most women feel good, and we shouldn’t take it as a compliment, because it’s simply not. We feel targeted, harassed and unsafe; if a man is willing to yell obscenities at me in public, what makes me trust him to stay away from me physically? It’s also extremely offensive, sometimes literally comparing a woman’s body to a piece of meat. But unfortunately, it has been normalized in our society. 
What makes the whole situation worse is how a woman is treated and insulted if she chooses to ignore or decline the catcalls. Girls are called “sluts,” “ugly bitches,” and told, “You know what, you’re not even that pretty anyway” when they try to avert their eyes and walk past.
But really, I have no idea what these men expect. Do they think that if they honk at me I’m going to chase after their car screaming, “Stop! I wanted to have sex with you?” That if a woman is being catcalled she will just jump for joy and hurry over to hear more about how her “booty got them lost like Nemo?” I don’t think so. A catcaller’s actions are for his own benefit, not the woman’s.
Catcalling is disrespectful. It isn’t flattering; it’s just creepy. What if the situation were reversed? Imagine a group of women leaning against a wall, watching a man walk by, whistling, and yelling things like, “Now that’s a nice ass!” or “I want to lick Nutella off your abs!” It isn’t any more flattering and I think most men wouldn’t appreciate being harassed in that way if societal roles were reversed.
Society needs to come to the realization that catcalling is actually harassment, not flattery. Both women and men need to work to spread the word and raise awareness. There is a program called ‘Stop Street Harassment’ that helps do just that. If you are catcalled, tweet about it with the mention “@catcalling” and tag it with “#streetharassment.” They will share your story. Taking and encouraging others to take self-defense classes could also help you and them “feel more empowered to safely confront” harassers (stopstreetharassment.com). If enough people work to change this norm, it will make a difference. Nobody should be made to feel uncomfortable or harassed for simply walking down the street.
Annabella Palopoli can be reached at annabella.palopoli@theminaretonline.com
Paola Crespo can be reached at paola.crespo@theminaretonline.com