I remember it was a Thursday. My watch flashed “2:00 PM”, and I was seated at the back of an almost-worn-out bus on the way to Ortigas (window seat, of course). But just when I thought I was having an afternoon like any other, this huge, brawny man at my right wrapped his arms around my shoulders and whispered, “Mag-pahinga ka na muna sa tabi ko, miss.”
Fear rushed through me, but somehow, I managed to shove him to the aisle before quickly getting off at the next stop.
It’s a sad truth that stories like this happen every day. Hearing a ‘Hi Miss!”, a “Good morning, ganda!”, a “Pa-kiss naman diyan, babe”, and a “Miss, ano number mo?” while commuting to work isn’t anything new—and believe me, things can get much worse than these (Did you hear the news about a man jerking off in front of a college student inside a moving jeepney? Disgusting.)
A 2008 study by www.stopstreetharassment.org revealed that over 99% of women have been leered at, cat called, groped, stalked, whistled at, or assaulted at least once in their lives. And guess what? Women don’t find any of these flattering. GASP.
Manila-based artist Jara Rogacion, however, decided she’s had enough of this bull, and created these downloadable flyers to call out harassers.
In a tweet, the University of the Philippines Manila graduate said, “Dahil ‘di ko na talaga makaya ‘pag may nang-harass pa sa’min sa susunod, gumawa ako ng calling card, flyers, at sampal ng katotohanan.”
dahil ‘di ko na talaga makakaya ‘pag may nang-harass pa sa’min sa susunod, gumawa ako ng calling card, flyers, at sampal ng katotohanan. pic.twitter.com/1cutLAgWAf
— Jara (@j0ssiean) January 25, 2017
Below are some of her illustrations. In another tweet, the 21-year-old artist encouraged everyone to feel free to download and print these for her/his own use. You may access the link to her public drive here.
Hi, Pogi. Ito number ko!
Harassment is different from a compliment.
Here’s something to scare away the creeps.
Lol.
Because really, cat calling makes you less of a man (or a decent person, for the matter).
Remember: while being at the receiving end of cat calls may make you think less of yourself, it shouldn’t. You are a strong human being worthy to be treated with dignity and respect.
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