Eliza Bennet
As a young woman, I have been catcalled a handful of times in my life. The most recent time I was walking home and a man in a parked van was staring at me through the driver’s window. He smiled at me when I made eye contact and I ignored him by turning my head to the side. He then rolled down his window and proceeded to shout at me: “Whatever, you’re ugly anyways!”- all because I didn’t smile back.
Catcalling is an experience that is shared amongst the majority of women in today’s society. In fact, I have never met a woman that has not ever been catcalled. This statement should be shocking, but sadly, I don’t think anyone would find this hard to believe. We often see the cliché scene of construction workers wolf-whistling at women passing by in movies and tv shows, and while this is certainly a real example of catcalling, it is one that doesn’t take into account the many ways in which catcalling can take form.
Catcalling refers to “the act of shouting harassing and often sexually suggestive, threatening, or derisive comments at someone publicly”. After posting a survey about catcalling on campus, I received 134 responses where 93 of those respondents answered ‘Yes’ to the question of whether they had ever been catcalled on or around the Queen’s campus. The other 41 either said ‘No’, ‘Not sure’ or ‘Yes, but only during party weekends like Homecoming or at house parties’.
University campuses have one of the highest percentages of sexual assault, where 1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault while attending a post-secondary institution. The reporting numbers of sexual harassment, which includes catcalling, are similar. In environments where participants are often intoxicated and have their inhibitions lowered, catcalling is quite common. We’ve all the seen the misogynist messages on sheets hung up outside houses in the student ghetto during Orientation Week, Homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day, so it is no surprise that instances of sexual harassment may also escalate during these times.
With that being said, the most the common form of catcalling is one that takes place on the street or in public, where perpetrators are in cars or other vehicles. This is because they have the means to getaway fast if things go south. This was reflected in the survey I posted, as 22 of 53 respondents who briefly described their experiences report being yelled at from either an individual or a group in a moving vehicle.
Ultimately, catcalling is unwarranted, unacceptable and invasive. It promotes a culture of toxic masculinity, where men[MR1] believe they are entitled to women’s bodies and are allowed to comment on them. Of course, sometimes these comments can be complimentary and might even make some people feel good about themselves (in fact 16.2% of respondents of the survey reported feeling confident after being catcalled). However, this does not excuse the fact the overwhelming majority of targets feel scared, uncomfortable, angry, sad and even violated.
It is important to note these emotions are shared amongst all as victims of sexual harassment. While the majority of respondents were female, 17.2% did identify as male and almost 7% of respondents reported that they’ve been catcalled exclusively by females. Catcalling is not limited in its targets and is often coupled with underlying tones of racial and sexual discrimination. As a matter of fact, women of colour and LGBTQ individuals report alarmingly high rates of catcalling and public sexual harassment.
Some respondents were brave enough to share similar experiences to the ones I have described:
“I’m Chinese Canadian and many of the catcalling comments I receive have racial undertones. They usually happen when I’m out by the hub. The night of Hoco, I was walking around the hub with my friend to go to the bars and a guy made comments about “beautiful Asian women” and tried to justify it by saying he liked diversity when I confronted him about his comments.”
“I was walking along Queen Street to the LCBO and a woman from an upstairs apartment near the Plaza called out to me.”
“The last time was when I was walking home from the ARC at around 8pm and there were two boys driving by on University Avenue [sic] and they rolled down their window and started whistling and “complimenting” me.”
“Guys saying grossly inappropriate things, either to a group or me when I’m alone. When I’m alone I get scared and worry they’ll do something to act on what they’re saying.”
“Too many to count. One that sticks out was when I worked Walkhome. Group of guys sat on a roof and implied that the two men with me were going to use me sexually. When I ignored them, they got angry and began screaming insults at me. I went home feeling so gross and hurt.”
While these responses were anonymous, I do want to thank everyone who took the time to answer the survey and share their stories. By sharing these experiences publicly, we can work together as a student body to end catcalling on campus and provide support for those who feel unsafe in their own community.
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