Dear Catcallers,
To anyone who has ever catcalled a girl…
I hate you. I probably don’t know you, but I hate you, and here is why:
I was fourteen the first time I was catcalled, and I didn’t think it was a big deal because I was still a kid; I didn’t realize how dangerous the catcalling culture is. To me, the stories of females being kidnapped, raped and even killed were honestly just that – stories. So what a guy yelled out his car window at me as I walked home from school?
This behavior continued, and intensified as I got older, and I realized how big of a problem it really is. Every time a guy yells something at me, I jump and immediately put my head down and walk faster. I do not react to them, and I most definitely do not say anything to them, even though in my head I’m screaming bloody murder. The one time I reacted when two guys were yelling at me, they turned around and came back to where I was. That instant terrified me, because here I am, alone at a gas station in a town I don’t know, and these two guys who I flipped off without thinking just turned around and came back. I never want to be in that situation again; I have no idea what they were planning on doing. I am a small female. Let’s be real, I can’t defend myself against two full grown men. I drove off that day and realized I’m not safe in this society.
Every time a guy yells at me, or comments on my appearance when I’m just trying to go about my day, I feel worthless. It is not a compliment to yell at a female. It is terrifying for us. I am terrified. I do not know you; I don’t know if you are all bark and no bite. All I know is you are yelling at me, and I think it’s my fault. It is not the females fault. It doesn’t matter what she’s wearing or how she’s acting. Catcalling is the guy’s problem. It is not my problem, yet here I am, along with every other female, dealing with it every day.
So, if you catcall women, please listen up: Just stop. It is not a compliment. It is not a good thing. It scares us. We don’t know if you want to rape and kill us. Every time you yell at a female, you objectify her. You take away her amazing personality and humanity, and you turn her into an object. We are not objects; we are humans who deserve respect. We deserve to feel safe walking places. We deserve to be able to go about our day and to not feel worthless when a guy makes a scene about what we’re wearing or how we look.
So the next time you want to yell at a girl, shut your mouth.
Sincerely, A Pissed Off Woman
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