Catcall – A loud whistle or a comment of a sexual nature made by a man to a passing woman.

Catcalling is something that has happened to the majority of Women at some point. It is often brushed off as a joke, just an innocent admirer surrendering to the bizarre norms of society. Well, no matter how innocent or not, I have had enough.

All of us women have been aimlessly walking down the street only to be startled by a beeping car horn, or shouted at out of the window. He thinks you’re attractive. Great, right? Sure, we all love a Compliment and you can argue that it’s even better coming from a stranger, but catcalling isn’t nice and even worse when it is normally coming from a much older individual. As common as this act is, I know I am not the only one who finds catcalling intimidating and embarrassing. It can actually be quite a shocking and upsetting experience when, like me, you are quite small and often walking on your own. Some girls would ask why. Why are you bothered? It’s just some lads having a laugh and it’s a compliment right? Sure, it might be funny to the people doing it, but I see nothing funny in being intimidated and objectified.

Traditionally, women were brought up to focus solely on their appearance, but I like to think that society has progressed. Therefore, I do not appreciate being objectified by catcallers. I know I am far more than just my appearance, but other girls don’t. Catcalling diminishes us and makes us feel like our looks are all that society can see. We are more than what we look like. That girl you wolf whistled could be researching the cure for cancer, or could do outstanding work for charity, or could be the next Adele. We are all more than our appearances.

And besides that, it’s completely unnecessary. Okay, so you think I’m hot? You’ve yelled at me from your car window? What do you think is going to happen, that I’m going to say ‘Wow thanks, that makes me so attracted to you.’ I’m pretty positive that’s never happened to any man as a result of catcalling, so what are you really going to achieve by objectifying women besides intimidating them and putting them down.

I no longer care if a catcall was completely innocent. I do not care if you had harmless intentions. It is not a compliment to me and quite frankly, I have had enough. Catcalling simply shows how little respect you have for women and their achievements, their personalities. At the end of the day, women are humans. We are not sex objects and we deserve better.