Writer Dalila Kahvedzic shares her experience with cat-calling and whistling
By: DALILA KAHVEDZIC
Asst. Art & Life Editor
It really aggravates me (to say the least) that I can not even go for a simple run in the park without a guy feeling the need to say something. The way that certain men feel the need to catcall a woman just passing by and minding her own business is completely unnecessary.
It can be argued as harassment. Do you really have to objectify women to make yourself feel like more of a man? It makes it quite difficult to even use the word ‘man’.
You take a split few seconds to say something or make a weird-sounding noise that sounds much like a drug-abusing parrot that you think will attract me, but you do not actually have the guts to stop and have a conversation, do you? No. You are coming off as awfully pathetic.
Taking into account that maybe certain men do not have the confidence to do anything besides make these snarky remarks or approach a woman with a simple conversation, but that is no excuse to make me feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
Compliment me on the fact that I am taking care of my health and my body. Encourage me to keep going. Many may want to argue the fact that if a woman is attractive and wearing specific clothing that may flatter her figure, she is ‘asking for it’. The hell she is. That simply leads to the annoying and way too unnecessarily repetitive argument involving rape culture and how girls and women should alter their appearance simply because men cannot control themselves.
A woman should not have to look at her closet thinking ‘I should not wear this because it exposes my shoulders’ or ‘I should not wear that because it shows too much leg.’ Women should not have that burden on themselves.
Some women might like it when random guys catcall and whistle and whatever else at them because it might boost their confidence, which is understandable, but speaking from a personal level, it is pure disrespect. It’s disrespectful as hell to objectify my body.
Yes, everyone notices and acknowledges each other first by their appearance only because it’s merely impossible to judge someone’s personality just by looking at them, but that does not mean one has to be absolutely and utterly rude about it.
To add onto that, certain ‘men’ complain that there are no loyal and respectful girls left out there.
Oh really? Well maybe if you cleaned up your act and were more courteous to women in the first place, you would get one right back. You get what you give.
Having said everything, this piece is in no way whatsoever aimed towards the male population as a whole, just the select few that cannot seem to properly talk to a woman.
Talks of sexism can be argued until the end of time distinctly because there are countless strong opinions and normally, everyone has a different view on such a matter, but if you cannot muster up the courage to talk to somebody then you certainly have no right to make them feel uncomfortable.
