Abstract: For this assignment we had to choose a text that addresses a social, political, economic, or cultural issue that interests us and write a critical analysis of it.
The regular morning routine of many women includes waking up, putting on makeup and cute clothes to get ready for the day. These women dress up and apply makeup for themselves, to look good and feel good for their own pleasure. However, what has also become a part of many women’s morning routine is the unwanted attention they get from men as they are out and about. As they head to work, to school or even just as they’re running errands, many women are met with comments from random men about how they look. Studies show that more than 70% of women of all ages have experienced street harassment in one form or another (Thompson). Street harassment does not only include sexual comments, but can also include whistling, honking, sexual gestures as well as many other things. Different women respond to these situations differently and some may argue that one response is better than the other or one response is wrong. In Why We Smile at Men Who Sexually Harass Us by Hanna Brooks Olsen, she speaks about her experience with street harassment, something that most women can relate to. The author’s main point in writing this article is to convey the idea that when men make unwanted advances towards women and speak to them, the women should not ignore the men. Instead, she says women should respond in a kind way as this will cause the interaction to be over sooner and without any problems. However, there is no right answer when it comes to dealing with unwanted remarks from random men.
Whether we like to admit it or not, the patriarchy is a system we have lived in since the beginning of time. Women have been seen as inferior to men in all aspects. Because of the society and environment we live in, men always feel as if they have control over women. They believe they have the right to catcall women and speak to them unnecessarily just because they are men. They feel as if their gender gives them an upper hand when dealing with women. In Katy Preen’s How Mean Men Expose the Misogyny Behind Catcalling, she states, “Men catcall to assert dominance and control women — whether it’s a ‘compliment’ or not” (Preen). Catcalling always leads back to the internalized misogyny that the patriarchal system has normalized. Throughout Preen’s article, she continuously uses the word “we.” By doing this, it shows that her article is targeted towards women and how they can relate to the topic. Preen’s main purpose is to help women understand why men feel as though they have the right to do this.
In many instances of catcalling, women are the ones who are blamed for the actions of men. Although women are on the receiving end of the harassment, many say the women are provoking the men to act this way. This again goes back to misogyny and patriarchy. Men feel as though they are allowed to act as they want, because they have the upper hand and because women are provoking them. In an interview Michelle from the Street Harassment Project, told the interviewer Elizabeth Brookbank, how they often receive emails from men saying, “‘Well what do you expect me to do when I see a woman in a sexy outfit why is she wearing it if she doesn’t want me to say something to her’” (Brookbank 22). By including a direct email as an example of what many men say to defend themselves, Michelle is appealing to most readers emotions. As women read this, it mostly gets them riled up as it is an excuse that men use to defend their disgusting actions. The issue of victim blaming is very prevalent in cases of sexual harassment. Instead of men realizing that they need to keep their thoughts and hands to themselves, they feel the need to express it, though it makes women uncomfortable. Instead of taking accountability for their actions, they shift the blame to the women. In Olsen’s article she states, “What annoys me is the fact that I am being blamed for this moment in time, for this interaction.” This is something many women can relate to. When they tell others about their experiences with street harassment, usually men will put the blame on the women. In a way they know that what they are doing is wrong, but because they are men, they can’t be wrong. Therefore, they react to certain situations the way that they do. Michelle states, “…on occasion we have received some semi threatening emails from men saying things like if they ever caught a woman talking back to them, they would put her in the hospital or something to that effect” (Brookbank 23). When being confronted and called out on their wrong doings, men tend to get defensive and violent. Their pride gets hurt, and they feel humiliated because a woman who is supposed to be lower than them has spoken up.
While some may feel confident enough to stand up to their harasser, others do not feel the same. It all depends on what is comfortable for you, so while some choose to respond, others choose to ignore. In the article, How to Respond to Street Harassment, the author states, “There is no “right” or “perfect” response to harassment….” It’s important to remember that there is no right way to respond and if you are going to respond, remember that you are doing it for your own sake. In a survey conducted in 1986, it was found that 61% of women ignored the harassment while only 16% spoke up for themselves (Kulik 39). This shows that most women are not comfortable in speaking up against someone who is harassing them. In Olsen’s article she states, “’just ignoring it’ — is part of the problem” (Olsen). By saying this, she creates a rather hostile tone and seems to imply that there is a correct way to deal with the situation, which is to respond to the harasser. Although she mentioned before that she hates the idea of victim blaming, by saying that those who don’t respond are a part of the problem, Olsen sounds as if she is blaming the victim because they contribute to the problem. In reality, the only problem is caused by the harasser.
As the person on the receiving end of harassment, the women should be able to decide how to respond or if they want to respond at all. No one has the right to tell them how they should react when something like this happens. Olsen states, “…in large part because being silent — just ignoring it — doesn’t make women safer and I need you to know that” (Olsen). Though Olsen herself has dealt with street harassment like many women, it doesn’t give her the authority to tell others how they should react to their harassment. The women in the situation should be able to decide for themselves what is best for them. Each situation varies, meaning each response will vary. Olsen’s whole point through her article seemed to be targeted towards women and telling them that they should be responding to their harasser, rather than focusing more so on men and telling them why they shouldn’t be harassing women.
The issue of catcalling is one that far too many women can relate to. It is something that is out of the woman’s control no matter what. No matter the situation a woman is never to blame for being catcalled, whether she is walking down the street naked or fully clothed. Catcalling should never be happening in the first place, but since it is something that is so normalized, women have the right to decide what they want to do during the situation. It is up to them to analyze the situation and react in a way they feel comfortable with, whether that is to respond and confront them or ignore them. In Olsen’s article, it was unfair of her to tell women that they should always reply to their harasser and if they are not doing so, they are a part of the problem. Instead of telling women how to react to an uncomfortable and even traumatic situation, her main target audience should have been men and telling them not to even catcall in the first place. Many articles often only inform people about the issue or target women, while their focus should be on men. It is on the men to educate themselves and take action to make sure women are feeling safer. This is another big issue that must be tackled but the main issue at hand is that women should have the freedom to react to these uncomfortable situations as they see fit.
Works Cited
Olsen, Hanna Brooks. “Why We Smile at Men Who Sexually Harass Us.” POPSUGAR News, 18 June 2019, www.popsugar.com/news/Personal-Essay-Street-Harassment-46263952.
Brookbank, Elizabeth, and Michelle. “Talking Back: Women in NYC Confront Street Harassment.” Off Our Backs, vol. 32, no. 9/10, 2002, pp. 20–24. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20837659. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
Preen, Katy. “How Mean Men Expose The Misogyny Behind Catcalling.” Medium, Fearless She Wrote, 3 June 2019, www.medium.com/fearless-she-wrote/how-mean-men-expose-the-misogyny-behind-catcalling-3b3104f6b60f.
“How to Respond to Street Harassment.” Hollaback! Together We Have the Power to End Harassment, www.ihollaback.org/responding-to-harassers/.
Kulik, Carol T., et al. “Responses To Sexual Harassment: The Effect Of Perspective.” Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 9, no. 1, 1997, pp. 37–53. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40604128. Accessed 2 May 2021
Thompson, Rachel. “97% Of Young Women Have Been Sexually Harassed, Study Finds.” Mashable, Mashable, 10 Mar. 2021, mashable.com/article/sexual-harassment-un-women-uk/.
