I live in Barbados and traveled through the Caribbean with a friend. Everywhere we went, catcalls, whistling, and lewd comments followed us. We tried not to let it bother us but after two weeks of this, I’d had enough.
Upon returning to Barbados, when we were on our way to a bar, a group of men stood near a corner. One of them leered “hey babes, which one of you is the nice one?”. We ignored him. On our way back, two hours later, the same man once again said “so which one of you is the nice one?”.
I don’t know what part made me angriest. That he assumed that my friend and I were either desperate or skanky enough to be picked up off the street. That he didn’t even bother using a new degenerate comment. That he had the audacity to think we would be anything but disgusted.
At that moment I did something that I had never, ever done before. I screamed, “PISS OFF!” at him. His response was to be outraged at my reaction and calling me a “bitch”.
I am a calm person who doesn’t seek open confrontation. That someone as lecherous and unworthy as this man could make me act so out of my character makes me sad.
Something like this happens daily in Barbados (and in the Caribbean in general).
– Anonymous
Location: Barbados
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Luz Blanca says
This happens every day all day and all night everywhere I’ve been in all of Latin America. It also happens in the areas that are highly populated by Latinos in Spain, in the U.S., in Germany and anywhere these vulgar men happen to relocate. They are a pain and they make it quite clear that they believe women are just pieces of meat, not actual humans. They also certainly don’t believe that women deserve respect, equal rights and good treatment. I honestly don’t know how any woman puts up the chauvinism that comes out of these guys.