22 People Share Their Thoughts on Catcalling

“I’ve been catcalled too many times growing up. Way too many times. I mean, isn’t one too many already? I am a strong advocate against catcalling. Growing up, I was always empowered by other strong women and was further exposed to ideas in feminism, freedom, and equality. Catcalling should never be tolerated or ever thought of as a norm that others should adjust to. Everyone deserves to feel safe and be respected, in and out of their own homes.” – Reese Galupe, Caloocan City

 

“I got catcalled on the way to school once. When I ignored the remarks of the men trying to get my attention by making remarks about my body, they got angry. I felt angry too. I was angry at the fact that my silence and my refusal to acknowledge them lead them to become more aggressive. But I kept my silence, knowing that the moment I gave them the attention they wanted to solicit from me would mean that they had succeeded.” – Wella Lobaton, Quezon City

 

“Yes, I have been catcalled way too many times. It is not a compliment and never will be. Frankly speaking, I was scared at first because I felt vulnerable. I felt vulnerable for not knowing what to do. I was angry at the people who catcalled but angrier at myself for staying silent and walking away. When we stay silent, we feed their ego. They will continue verbally harassing others and catcalling will never stop. People shouldn’t blame the victims for what they wear, blame the perpetrators for not being able to keep their mouths shut.” – Mauren Dy, Malabon City

 

“Catcalling is not a compliment but rather, a form of gender bullying and harassment. It is irksome and immature to those inflicted. Yet in every circumstance, women have the power to rise above simply by becoming more confident in yourself and giving that “you can’t mess with this chick” aura. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t lose your cool. Give your invisible friend a call and walk away because you never have to stoop down to their level anyway.” – Vanessa Baguiwet, Quezon City

 

“I’ve never been catcalled, but I’ve witnessed the act of catcalling. And honestly, it’s not something people should be proud of doing. I’ve seen it happen to my friends, to strangers, heck, some of my friends did it in my company. I think catcalling is absolutely disgusting. People try to justify it as complimenting someone, but I don’t see how lowering someone to the level of being a sexual object is a compliment; as if their body is the only thing they notice about them. And it’s directed at someone they don’t know, no less.

If I were to compliment someone, I’d say “I love your outfit,” or “You look great today!” or “omg i love your shoes,” instead of “hay mis butipol,” or “mmm gurl you got a nice rack on ya,” or “gurl dem buns look sweet as heck.” See the difference? And to get this from someone they don’t know? No one wants that. There’s this thing called harassment, and that’s what catcalling is.” – Alpha Rei Fox, Cebu City

“I have been catcalled multiple times, and I can say it’s not necessarily about what you’re wearing or what time it is. I get catcalled when I’m wearing a dress, leggings, shorts, or pants. I get catcalled in broad daylight and at night. It’s frustrating because these people see me as a sex object telling me, “smile naman ate,” “ganda ng legs mo ate ah” and other things that are very dehumanizing.

It makes me feel like I am less of a human as compared to them. Nakakababa ng tingin sa sarili, pero hindi dapat ganun. Catcalling can never be justified, and victims should never be blamed. Kung hindi nila kayang controlin ang sarili nila sa pangbabastos ng mga babae, tama bang sisihin yung mga babaeng nabibiktima nila? Hindi, hindi kasalanan ng mga babae. Catcalling is dehumanizing, and it must be stopped. Stop the culture of victim-blaming. Stop catcalling.” – Kelden Marie Laguting, Marikina City

 

“I got catcalled once. It was around 8:30 pm, I guess. I got down on the wrong street and had to walk along QC Circle. I passed by this group of young men and women who shouted at me, asking me if I wanted to spend the night having a good time with them, gesturing towards the taxi nearby that we could take to go somewhere (among other things they said, this struck me the most). It was not exactly the most offensive or explicit thing that a catcaller could say, but I couldn’t deny that the experience made me terrified — dehumanized, even. I walked away with a faster pace and a quicker heartbeat.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of stories from my friends and the Internet. It made me think, “Wow, if I got so terrified and offended with just one instance of this (catcalling) — and it wasn’t even the worst, I think –, paano pa kaya yung araw-araw nababastos?”

It doesn’t stop at this realization, however. It makes me think of two calls to action, at two fronts ―one in terms of policies, and one in terms of attacking the root cause. In Quezon City, we already have the “Magastos Mambastos sa QC” campaign and the anti-catcalling ordinance, which I think are good starting steps to address the problem. On tackling the root cause, however, I think, though it is a tall order, that it could start with identifying the reasons why catcallers catcall, and where this disruptive behavior is coming from. I see catcalling as a misguided and corrupted exercise of power―one that stems from, perhaps, a lack of self-confidence? A lustful desire for control ? There are a lot of factors that we can point out, but I think if we can pinpoint these and make them known to both the victims and suspects, we can create environments and measures that make catcallers reflect on their actions and rectify
their behavioral problems.” – Gelo Dionora, Quezon City

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