Persuasive Essay on Catcalling

Catcalling has been around for many years as a way to supposedly compliment a woman’s body. It is an unfortunate problem that women across the globe are forced to deal with every day, regardless of their appearance or the clothes they wear. Catcalling is detrimental on a woman’s self-esteem, attitude, and leads them to view themselves more often as objects rather than human beings. By catcalling, men objectify women and fail to realize that women deserve safety and respect.

Ross’s story in her article, “No, Catcalling Is Not a Form of Empowerment,” is one that is all too familiar to women across the world. Although, being catcalled is not a new experience for myself, reading her experience caused my jaw to drop. “Self-empowerment means being empowered from within. Not being empowered by catcalls” writes Ross, and I couldn't agree more with her statement (2014). The last thing a woman needs is to feel “empowered” by a man’s nasty comments regarding her body. Empowerment does not come from the sexualization of a woman’s body, or knowing that a woman may appear attractive to random men on the street. Empowerment comes from personal accomplishments and successes.

The first time I was harassed, I was walking through my hometown in Portland, Oregon. I noticed that a man was approaching me from the corner of my eye, so I began to walk at a brisk pace. Soon enough this man caught up to me. Under his breath, I heard him utter, “I bet you could make a lot of money with a camera and a bedroom.” I looked up at him in complete shock, taken aback by his disgusting words. Looking over myself, I wasn’t wearing anything ‘provocative’ at all-- just a puffy winter coat, a pair of jeans, and a beanie. I was fourteen years old at the time, still a child, and at the time I had barely started high school. I felt disgusting after hearing what that man said. I was not walking down the street with the intention of getting harassed, and I certainly was not walking down the street to be objectified by some disgusting old man who was presumably twenty years older than I was. Unfortunately, this is not the only time I have experienced harassment. I’ve gotten nasty stares from men when I go grocery shopping, crude comments when I’m working, and whistling while walking down the street. Each time, I felt the same-- disgusted, objectified, disrespected, but most of all, I felt like there was a problem with me. In the eyes of men, I quickly learned that I will always be seen as a sex object; a whore that men seemingly had the God-given right to harass and belittle. It didn’t matter what I wore, whether or not I wore makeup or if my hair was done, or if I was with a group of friends or by myself. I learned that men will lack respect for women and will always have the audacity to make a snarky comment about their appearance.

Catcalling is a way for men to objectify and disrespect women, and catcalling leads to women feeling insecurity. This form of harassment is something that women fall victim to every day. Catcalling is not a way to empower women, as it causes women to lack self-esteem and to view themselves as objects. There are many better ways to tell a woman that she is attractive. Catcalling is not one of them.