Unmentioned in most of the complaints about cat-calling is the race and social class of the cat-callers.
Just like crime, if something "bad" happens and race isn't mentioned, the perp is black. I've seen a few essays complaining about it which have mentioned that black and Hispanic men are almost always the ones doing the cat-calling, and even when it's a white man, it's always working-class men (except when it's actual frat boys - at the frat house).
So the real complaint about cat-calling isn't that the women are being objectified, it's that they're being objectified by the wrong men.
Theory: Young women hate cat calls because it is a reminder that men only want them for their youthful beauty. Subconsciously, they know they will lose this some day. The cat call is a constant nagging that they should do something with their life besides coast (gym, learning a skill, etc). A girl who is secure in her future self, does not need to fear the cat call and is free to enjoy it or laugh it off.
I greatly enjoy watching (especially older) women struggle with overhead luggage and glare at me for not helping. For the ones with the temerity to ask for/demand help, I always reply, "You've come a long way, baby." The older ones truly do get that insult.
I figure it's payback for the 10,000 times I was called a male chauvinist pig when I was growing up.
Unmentioned in most of the complaints about cat-calling is the race and social class of the cat-callers.
ReplyDeleteJust like crime, if something "bad" happens and race isn't mentioned, the perp is black. I've seen a few essays complaining about it which have mentioned that black and Hispanic men are almost always the ones doing the cat-calling, and even when it's a white man, it's always working-class men (except when it's actual frat boys - at the frat house).
So the real complaint about cat-calling isn't that the women are being objectified, it's that they're being objectified by the wrong men.
(WV: "chivalry"!)
Theory: Young women hate cat calls because it is a reminder that men only want them for their youthful beauty. Subconsciously, they know they will lose this some day. The cat call is a constant nagging that they should do something with their life besides coast (gym, learning a skill, etc). A girl who is secure in her future self, does not need to fear the cat call and is free to enjoy it or laugh it off.
ReplyDeleteLoved the article!
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoy watching (especially older) women struggle with overhead luggage and glare at me for not helping. For the ones with the temerity to ask for/demand help, I always reply, "You've come a long way, baby." The older ones truly do get that insult.
I figure it's payback for the 10,000 times I was called a male chauvinist pig when I was growing up.
Payback is a bitch.