by Rebecca Costanza, staff reporter
Baby. Sweetheart. Boo. Women have probably heard it all. If you were to respond, what would you say?
Many people, especially men, dismiss the claims made by people who believe “catcalling” is considered sexual harassment. Yet, dismissal is just an excuse for men to continue this entitled behavior.
“I have called girls out on the street before. I was doing corny pickup lines. Two of the girls gave me their number[s] while one of them tried to spit at me. The rest of the girls were just like screw you. I think it’s okay to comment or hit on girls on the streets if you’re not being weird and creepy about it. There’s a line you can’t cross,” junior Frankie DeBonis said.
The Stop Street Harassment founder conducted an informal, anonymous online survey about street harassment during the spring of 2007; 99% of the respondents said they have been harassed at least a few times and over 99 percent of the female respondents said they had experienced some form of street harassment.
It is not okay for men to call out on women on the streets. They should question themselves before they speak. Men should think “Why am I telling a woman what I think about her appearance?” and “Is it an appropriate place to do so?” Women have made their voices heard and, if one cares about other people, one will take steps to actually make places safer and not contribute to environments that make it worse.
“I was walking to school and I was on my block. This big white truck stops next to me and they turned their heads to holler at me. I stuck up the finger and walked away. I don’t think it’s okay for men to call out women on the streets. It is disgusting and disturbing. If someone did that to their wife, how would they feel about it? It’s disrespectful because I am a younger girl who was getting hit on by older men,” sophomore Samantha Messemer said.
Men are obviously not complimenting women. The desperation of forcing women to hear just how beautiful they are is creepy. It’s even worse when the older men that possibly have a wife and kids comment on younger girls. Men should just get the point and understand that women do not appreciate the “catcalling” because not only is it uncomfortable, but disrespectful.
