Stop Street Harassment (SSH) is a non-profit organization that is dedicared to abolishing gender-based street harassment worldwide. In a 2008 online study by SSH, it was revealed that over 99 percent of women have been catcalled or harassed on the streets at least once in their life. As a woman reflecting on my personal experiences, I am not shocked by this figure.
Catcalling is not a compliment, but an examination into the dominating patriarchal society and the ways in which women are casually oppressed on a daily basis. Contrary to the beliefs of New York Post writer Doree Lewak, these “compliments” shouted at women, usually from the seat of a stranger’s car, do not send their “ego soaring”. Just because Lewak finds empowerment in these comments does not mean this behavior should be encouraged. Not only are the majority of women left feeling scared, embarrassed and angry, but also research, by the University of Connecticut show men who harass women with cat calls and sexual comments are actually harming their whole gender.
Most street harassers aren’t “bad men”—they just don’t fully understand why their actions are disrespectful to the female population. It is mostly thought that they don’t even think they are harassing women at all. I’m not neglecting the fact that studies also showed that 25 percent of men (mostly identifying as LGBTQ+) were harassed on the street, but it is important to understand that sexual public harassment and violence toward women is a widespread problem. I am known as someone who’s never afraid to speak her mind, and I probably speak it more often than I should. Why, then, am I made feel like I have to ignore every degrading comment that chips away my confidence?
That’s why sexual harassment on the streets won’t stop until both men and women start engaging with harassers and point out that this disgusting behavior is wrong. Speaking to one UL student, she said: “Would you want someone shouting at your mother or sister from a car window saying that they will “destroy [her] pussy?”Women should be able to feel like they can walk home at 10 o’clock at night by themselves without fearing any form of sexual harassment.Unfortunately, this will not happen until people are educated on the affect sexual harassment has on a person, and we as a society learn that it has to stop.
If people think it is socially acceptable to intimidate and verbally harass a woman, society will become accustomed to objectifying each other and will continue thinking that they can “grab ‘em by the pussy” whenever they please.