Cat-Calling: A Call to Consider the Drive-By Come-On
Sarah Mofford
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: True Story
It happened in the mountains just north of Pasadena. In the hillside neighborhood of Altadena, my friend and I were walking to rent a movie, laughing and talking, fully clothed in our everyday casual outfits. Our shoulders were a bit more exposed because it was 95 degrees, but this is California-that's as fully clothed as one can get in the summer. Mid-conversation, I jumped in reaction to something my friend said. Just then, a car zipped by with a man hanging out the window, who yelled "I like the way you leap, girl!"
Recalling the story now, his call doesn't seem that offensive-just odd. But unfortunately this experience wasn't the first of its kind for my friend and I. We had received honks accompanied by leers and calls from cars while walking or waiting for the bus. No matter how often it occurs, it always leads to the conversation topic: "Why would anyone cat-call?"
In light of certain findings, it's a question worth asking repeatedly. According to the research of street harassment scholar Holly Kearl, 98 percent of 225 anonymous respondents have experienced some form of street harassment, and about 30 percent reported being harassed on a regular basis.
In a presentation at Occidental College last November about masculinity, I asked author, activist and film-maker Jackson Katz if cat-calling was an attempt by men to prove their masculinity. He responded emphatically that it was. After all, rarely does a girl even get a chance to respond. It's the act of calling and showing power over the recipient in the brief moment that is important. It proves that the caller has a momentary control over the woman, proving his masculinity to himself and whoever else happens to be around (often other male friends).
Katz's response prepped me for a discussion I had with a few male friends who had confessed to either cat-calling or witnessing a catcall from their friends. When asked why they had joined in or refused to stop it, they gave me a sheepish look and said, "I didn't want to get teased… or called a pussy."
Another defense of the behavior comes from the claim of ignorance. According to Kearl's findings, "A lot of men have no idea that women don't like being talked to in this way… it never crosses their mind."
Whether it crosses their mind or not, the truth is that in our culture, cat-calling is a reflection of the gender power dynamics we live with every day. The masculine holds power over the feminine, and cat-calling is just a routine expression of it to an anonymous victim. And like all cultural hierarchies, this, too, has a toll on the psyche of the victims.
Kimberly Fairchild, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Manhattan College in New York, says, "There seems to be some evidence that [cat-calling] increases self-objectification." Cat-calling recognizes women as physical....looking good, rather than as fellow, thinking people. This "encourages women to look at themselves as body parts instead of as full, whole, intelligent human beings." And because cat-calling implies that we walk around in a man's world and women are trespassing on it as mere ornaments, it can cause women to fear for their safety and doubt their right to walk the streets at certain times of day.
Any woman living in a big city learns to conform to certain societal rules to protect her safety, despite how unfair and gendered these rules may be. She is told to avoid being out after dark, and to have a friend or a bottle of pepper spray with her if such a trip is unavoidable. She is told to dress conservatively if she doesn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention, regardless of weather or temperature.
As much has we hate to admit it, refusing to conform to these social rules can have serious consequences.
A friend of mine went to the Los Angeles Zoo recently. Ignoring these societal tenets, she found herself walking to a bus stop in the waning late-afternoon light, wearing a spaghetti-strap tank top. The result? She was honked at, whistled at and even followed by a car at one point. It is these situations that make me wonder if the social acceptability of cat-calling is leading to something more serious, and definitely more dangerous.
But can we stop it?
We, as people, feel empowered by having the freedom to wear whatever we want, regardless of how much skin we show. It is not our attitudes toward clothes that need to change; it is the way male passersby perceive skin. As the largest organ in our bodies, skin is there to protect our muscles, bones and brain, not merely to package our legs, boobs and hips. Our skin does not exist for the pleasure of the viewer.
I wish I could wrap this up more optimistically. The truth of the matter is that the best any woman can do is to tell the men they know why cat-calling is harmful and disrespectful, not to mention a waste of time (how many women have ever been picked up that way?) Tell them to tell their male friends. Tell them how important it is to not let each other get away with behavior that disrespects women-the more unacceptable it becomes and the more men speak out, the fewer men will fear being called a "pussy."
If we take these initial steps, maybe one day we will be able to walk down the sidewalk in miniskirts or tank tops in the hot California sun without fearing the inevitable horns blaring. If we can de-stigmatize men speaking out against it, and perhaps even stigmatize cat-calling itself, we can all think of the sidewalk as a way to get where we're going, not a runway.
Recalling the story now, his call doesn't seem that offensive-just odd. But unfortunately this experience wasn't the first of its kind for my friend and I. We had received honks accompanied by leers and calls from cars while walking or waiting for the bus. No matter how often it occurs, it always leads to the conversation topic: "Why would anyone cat-call?"
 Media Credit: Google Images Twisted Gender "Rules" |
In light of certain findings, it's a question worth asking repeatedly. According to the research of street harassment scholar Holly Kearl, 98 percent of 225 anonymous respondents have experienced some form of street harassment, and about 30 percent reported being harassed on a regular basis.
In a presentation at Occidental College last November about masculinity, I asked author, activist and film-maker Jackson Katz if cat-calling was an attempt by men to prove their masculinity. He responded emphatically that it was. After all, rarely does a girl even get a chance to respond. It's the act of calling and showing power over the recipient in the brief moment that is important. It proves that the caller has a momentary control over the woman, proving his masculinity to himself and whoever else happens to be around (often other male friends).
Katz's response prepped me for a discussion I had with a few male friends who had confessed to either cat-calling or witnessing a catcall from their friends. When asked why they had joined in or refused to stop it, they gave me a sheepish look and said, "I didn't want to get teased… or called a pussy."
Another defense of the behavior comes from the claim of ignorance. According to Kearl's findings, "A lot of men have no idea that women don't like being talked to in this way… it never crosses their mind."
Whether it crosses their mind or not, the truth is that in our culture, cat-calling is a reflection of the gender power dynamics we live with every day. The masculine holds power over the feminine, and cat-calling is just a routine expression of it to an anonymous victim. And like all cultural hierarchies, this, too, has a toll on the psyche of the victims.
Kimberly Fairchild, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Manhattan College in New York, says, "There seems to be some evidence that [cat-calling] increases self-objectification." Cat-calling recognizes women as physical....looking good, rather than as fellow, thinking people. This "encourages women to look at themselves as body parts instead of as full, whole, intelligent human beings." And because cat-calling implies that we walk around in a man's world and women are trespassing on it as mere ornaments, it can cause women to fear for their safety and doubt their right to walk the streets at certain times of day.
Any woman living in a big city learns to conform to certain societal rules to protect her safety, despite how unfair and gendered these rules may be. She is told to avoid being out after dark, and to have a friend or a bottle of pepper spray with her if such a trip is unavoidable. She is told to dress conservatively if she doesn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention, regardless of weather or temperature.
As much has we hate to admit it, refusing to conform to these social rules can have serious consequences.
 Media Credit: Google Images Deeper Than Skin |
A friend of mine went to the Los Angeles Zoo recently. Ignoring these societal tenets, she found herself walking to a bus stop in the waning late-afternoon light, wearing a spaghetti-strap tank top. The result? She was honked at, whistled at and even followed by a car at one point. It is these situations that make me wonder if the social acceptability of cat-calling is leading to something more serious, and definitely more dangerous.
But can we stop it?
We, as people, feel empowered by having the freedom to wear whatever we want, regardless of how much skin we show. It is not our attitudes toward clothes that need to change; it is the way male passersby perceive skin. As the largest organ in our bodies, skin is there to protect our muscles, bones and brain, not merely to package our legs, boobs and hips. Our skin does not exist for the pleasure of the viewer.
I wish I could wrap this up more optimistically. The truth of the matter is that the best any woman can do is to tell the men they know why cat-calling is harmful and disrespectful, not to mention a waste of time (how many women have ever been picked up that way?) Tell them to tell their male friends. Tell them how important it is to not let each other get away with behavior that disrespects women-the more unacceptable it becomes and the more men speak out, the fewer men will fear being called a "pussy."
If we take these initial steps, maybe one day we will be able to walk down the sidewalk in miniskirts or tank tops in the hot California sun without fearing the inevitable horns blaring. If we can de-stigmatize men speaking out against it, and perhaps even stigmatize cat-calling itself, we can all think of the sidewalk as a way to get where we're going, not a runway.
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