Catcalling

Hi,

I am not somebody who often feels disrespected or taken advantage of as a girl. To be honest, I am quite happy with the relationship that women nowadays share with the opposite sex. Like all other females, I believe that men and women are equal, but I also don't think that there is anything wrong with males being more dominant and forthcoming.

It is traditional that a man should be the one to take most of the important steps in a relationship such as asking a woman out on a first date or proposing. But I think there needs to be a line between advancing in a relationship and catcalling a girl because of how she looks, or even just because she is a girl.

I have never really seen what the fuss is about with catcalling, but then, as a teenage girl, I wouldn't have any idea to begin with; I have never been approached by a man; I have never felt violated by the opposite sex; I have never been catcalled...until today.

As I walked past a cafe, I looked inside it through a window to see how busy it was. Every table was full of people my age and evidently there was a school function going on. As I strolled by, people at the tables began to stand up. There were about 5 boys, holding their hands up to their ears, mimicking a phone and mouthing 'call me'. At first, I was flattered, happy even, because these boys had noticed me, and maybe they even thought I was attractive. As somebody who does not consider themselves good looking or appealing to the opposite sex, this excited me and gave me confidence. But as soon as I rounded the corner, doubt filled my head. What if it was a dare? What if they had been teasing me? What if they had done it because they thought I was ugly? Suddenly, I didn't feel good about the situation, I felt unsettled and violated. What made these boys think that they could act like this to me, a complete stranger?

I know that this situation is mild compared to what some women experience, and I am aware that I am probably overthinking this and that the boys were probably just joking around with each other, but it is the fact that they probably were joking that bothers me. Instead of treating me with respect, as though I was somebody that they were genuinely interested in, or ignoring me if I was not, they chose to briefly communicate with me in a way that I found disrespectful.

To boys, catcalling probably seems completely harmless and even funny, but they need to know that girls don't feel the same way. Catcalling is something that leaves a girl with many questions about the situation and it is so often taken the wrong way. I think catcalling needs to stop, and by spreading awareness to men about the way women feel, all females can feel respected and safe.

If you have any feedback, questions, similar experiences or if you simply want to share your opinion, I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Thats all from me,

Dancer Free xx