22 People Share Their Thoughts on Catcalling

“Catcalling is a form of sexual harassment. It’s rude AND insulting. And NO, it DOES NOT make women feel good, comfortable or safe!” – Jazmin San Juan, Quezon City

 

“Believe or not, I have been catcalled. There would be people, though, that say that as a guy I shouldn’t be bothered, but I heartily disagree. No one should even be catcalled in the first place. Whenever I walk in katipunan with my girlfriend I can’t help but notice the guys sneering at her, or the truck drivers honking their horn in our direction. The fact that it does not only happen to me, but to the people I love, makes me so angry and at the time so helpless. Because regardless of the number of people I call out for doing this, unless we change morals as a society, it won’t mean a thing. Put simply, catcalling is degrading a person and shouldn’t be done to anyone. Period.” – Miguel Ranada Quijano, Quezon City

 

“Almost every time I walk in the streets, i get catcalled. Regardless of what I wear or what time of the day it is, there would always be someone who would give sexually offending comments. But more than that, what hurts me the most is when people invalidate the trauma that those “simple” comments give me. One catcall can make me fear my life. When the news about the bill on street harassment filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros arose, I was so happy because finally, I can have a safety net that would support me.

After reading the news, I made a mistake of reading the comments section. It hurt me a lot to see how many people, including women, think that catcalling is okay because it is a part of our culture. I often get stalked by random men when I commute. It starts with one “pst” or one “accidental” brush on my body, and then they follow me until they lose me from their sight. I feel defenseless and weak because once you’re in that situation, you can’t think straight anymore. The only thing running through my mind is that I want to be alive. Most of the time, I don’t even want to go home because I fear that when I walk on the streets, someone might harass me. But at the end of the day, it would always be my fault in everyone’s eyes. It would always be about the clothes that I wear. Every time I tell my story to the people close to me, the first thing they would tell me is to dress properly to prevent it. Does that solve it? No. The choice of clothing I have does not, in any way, give anyone consent to disrespect me. It is my body, and I have every right to it. I am allowed to wear anything I want, but that does not give you the right to harass me.” – Liz Meriette Torongan, Quezon City

 

“Yes, I have been catcalled. Even inside a place I thought to be safe, now sometimes I fear to go out on my own. Catcalling is one of the worst things you can possibly do to someone you know or a complete stranger. The act itself can make someone feel incredibly unsafe in their own skin, alone, violated and naked. This needs to be stopped.” – Alexa Cruz, Quezon City

 

“I’ve been exposed to catcalling ever since I understood the concept behind the word. Being a feminist, I am against catcalling. Whenever I walk in the streets to do errands or to just go out, I am always confronted with the reality of another person whose sexual interests are thrown in the form of arrogant remarks toward me. This makes me feel so powerless and devoid of choices in self-expression. It’s disgusting and inhumane to be looked at like a piece of meat and nothing more. I guess it’s in how our society is structured that it affects how people look at or think about women. That’s something that I hope I could witness to be changed in my lifetime.” – Raya Castillo, Lucena City

 

“Have I ever been catcalled? Yes, it’s something I don’t like to think about but happens on a pretty daily basis. I don’t understand why people have the need to cat call. Sure they’re ‘compliments’ but they feel more degrading than anything. It makes walking around and daily tasks feel more unsafe than they should be.”

“I have been a victim of catcalling. Whenever I go to public places like LTO offices and other government offices, I feel unsafe because a lot of random men try to get my attention and it makes me very uncomfortable. I believe that no one ever deserves to ever feel like I felt in those situations. I felt like running to the nearest officer but even they made me feel uneasy. Being a woman in today’s day and age, it is really hard to ever feel safe walking around by yourself. actually not just women but anyone who ever feels threatened in general. No one deserves that.” – Angeli Frondoso, Mandaluyong City, and Natasha Cabrera, Bonifacio Global City

 

“Yes, I have been catcalled, a lot of times. And I cannot stress enough how annoying, irritating and uncomfortable it’s like. Catcalling (in our country) isn’t a compliment because it is fueled by the lust that the man has for the woman. It is disrespectful and uncalled for. For the ladies, don’t be afraid to defend yourselves the next time you experience it.” – Alphae Reciel Marfa, Bonifacio Global City

Catcalling is still very much an issue, and it could happen to anyone at any time, regardless of what you are wearing. The responses from these individuals only support the idea that catcalling is not a compliment, but rather a form of harassment.

How about you? Share your stories with us.