Why, why, why? Why would men—dads, brothers, and sons of women—ever catcall a six-, ten-, or fifteen-year-olds? Why would we allow our fellow men to continue to do this in such an advanced culture as ours?
Are we that advanced as a people that our sisters and daughters still have to grow up in a society where men sexualize their bodies and fashion styles openly on the street, in front of these men’s daughters, nonetheless?
Last month The Huffington Post ran a piece based on the hashtag #FirstTimeIWasCatcalled, which asked women to comment on the first time they were catcalled (that is, sexually and openly harassed in public for their appearance and/or attire). Huffington Post Women’s Editor, Alanna Vagianos wrote the following:
The first time I remember being catcalled I was 16 years old walking from the parking lot to my high school. The parking lot was only three blocks away, but it still gave the two grown men slowly following me in their car enough time to repeatedly ask me what grade I was in.
Almost 10 years later, I still remember that day. I still remember what I was wearing. I still remember feeling every inch of my body burn hot with shame as I felt their eyes on me.
This experience is all too common for women. And it usually starts at a young age.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad freeIn an interview published Wednesday, 14-year-old “Girl Meets World” actressRowan Blanchard revealed that her feminist activism was sparked after a similar encounter she had with a man at just 12 years old.
“I remember I was at a movie with my friend, and we were both in skirts… We were waiting outside the movies for my dad to pick us up, and this grown man came over and was like, ‘You guys need a ride anywhere?’ I was 12 years old and my friend was 15,” Blanchard told Interview Magazine. “I always see girls getting catcalled. But up until that point, I hadn’t experienced it. And it was like I was out-of-body for a second.”
Blanchard’s story immediately resonated with me. I remember the realization I had that day walking to school: Wow, so this is what happens? This is what women go through. It was hard to understand at the time because I was not a woman — I was a child.
I wanted to know if other women felt the same way Blanchard and I did the first time we were catcalled. So I asked women on Twitter to share their stories using the hashtag #FirstTimeIWasCatcalled.
Here are some of the Tweets that were a result:
#FirstTimeIWasCatcalled i think i was 12 or 13 walking around my neighborhood when a car slowed down and 2 middle aged men whistled ?
— Kayla Rebelo (@misskaylagaga) March 31, 2016
#FirstTimeIWasCatcalled I was eleven years old in the middle of a market crowd, walking past a building site. My dad was walking with me.
— ToWhomI’llAlwaysLove (@DeathIsMercy) March 31, 2016
#FirstTimeIWasCatcalled i was nine years old and some man whistled at me and honked his car. ever since ive felt uncomfortable wearingshorts
— aimzies (@sabrinaswago) March 30, 2016
Men, guys, dads…what do you say? How can we raise a new generation free of the volition to catcall girls, when we know that girls from age six to seventeen are constantly being harassed on streets and neighborhoods worldwide?
How can we achieve this social change?
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Photo: R. Halfpaap/Flickr