A friend who gets catcalled often thinks it’s mostly men posturing for other men; they don’t usually do it when they’re alone.
As a woman, my experience says this is largely dependent on the culture. Go to Latin America and men cat call women even when they’re alone. Day, night, at work- doesn’t matter. If anything, I’ve never been catcalled in enclosed spaces such as public transport or elevators, but I’ve occasionally had a hand on my ass if it’s super crowded. If you ask me this totally puts them in the bully category, and bullies can also work in groups.
In Australia I’ve only seen men catcalling women while they are drinking, and yeah they were also not drinking alone. The catcalling also feels sillier or less serious somehow, perhaps because it’s obvious they’re being drunk and stupid.
YMMV.
Edit: also let me add, in the first example men catcall any woman. I think any woman between the ages of 12 and 60 is a good target for catcalling, as long as they’re not morbidly obese.
In the second example, only conventionally attractive women, often dressed somewhat suggestively, get catcalled.
That’s why I stay fat lol
I wasn’t really thinking about cultural differences in my comment. The friend in question is a conventionally attractive woman who lives in the USA.
You’re assuming they think at all.
It’s basically bullying like you say. They enjoy the power they hold over a woman to be able to say degrading things about her without consequence.
I don’t think you realize they don’t care and don’t have that social respect normal people have.
When I see people out exercising I often get the urge to yell that they are doing a good job or looking great if I see them working hard. But I never do.
I’m a cis man, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but if I get encourement from a random person like this, I absolutely kick my effort up a notch and remember it for months-years.
I’d like think people might be able to tell the difference between “keep it up” or “you’re doing great” and a full on catcall, but I’ve never been catcalled so… ¯\(ツ)/¯
Why ? are you afraid it would be mistaken for catcalling ?
When is catcalling catcalling. Is asking someone out catcalling?
Is asking someone out on the street catcalling?I don’t think so, but I am no authority
Velma answered the question, but I also want to add that politely asking someone out is not cat calling. But Idk why you would ask someone out on the street. Context and place matters of course. If I am walking to the bus stop to go to work I really don’t like being asked out. I’m trying to get from point A to point B. I’m not really looking for a date, especially not from a street stranger. There is no built in safety net for women on a random street and a lot of women already have safety concerns walking alone in public. There is also a lack of prior consent to engage.
The only time I ever seen a cat call work was when a cat made a noise at a woman.
I think the only time I cat-called women was when I was 10yo while playing football (soccer) in the neighborhood. The girls (~15yo I’d guess) looked back and I went red as a tomato in embarrassment.
Fast forward some years later, when I had long hairs, as I was arriving at school, someone horned at me and cat-called me. I turned around the the pair of idiots saw that I was a dude. They didn’t speed up and I felt that, were I smaller or had a more meek outlook, they would call me gay, sissy, etc, before moving on.
So, it feels like cat calling is a power play against the target.
I do wish people could be honest about what they think, but in a civilized manner. I wish I could just tell a girl or woman I find her pretty without coming off as a creep, weirdo or flirty.
Somebody actually cat-calls women? Not just a stereotype from 80’s broadcasting?
If they do, I’d imagine it’s a role they think they have to play for their peers. Do they do that when they are alone?
I do think that they think it’s a compliment. I guess they don’t have any women in their lives to smack some sense into them.
I have yet to read any of the other comments, so this is right off the dome, but I imagine that most of them think that they are just sending a compliment and brightening someone’s day.
I doubt they imagine that the girl is gonna sprint across the highway at 75 miles an hour, rip the door of their car, shred their blue jeans like a wildcat and start fucking them like an insane, rabid mongoose.
Maybe they should. Maybe that would inspire the fear needed to stop catcalling?
