I was walking back to my car after work, and I walked through a small pedestrian street as I always do. There is a small smoke shop in this street and there are often people gathered outside. Tonight there was large group of men. They all started shouting things like, “Hey baby,” “Ooh sexy,” “I like your hair,” and grosser things that I would rather not say.

I steered clear of them, kept walking and didn’t make any eye contact. That was it.

This is just the most recent of the countless time that I have been catcalled. And this time, like every time, I was thinking, “What if they decide to approach me? Should I say something or will that make them feel invited to approach me? What if they hurt me? What if I die tonight?”

Catcalling is never a compliment. It’s an attack.

– CB

Location: Stamford, CT

A man driving by while I was walking to work honked his horn and I naturally looked up. He made a gesture of sucking dick at me and smiled. I felt powerless because he was in a car and got the attention he wanted, and I ended up sobbing to my mother on the phone afterwards because of my helplessness. What makes matters worse is that so many women will respond by saying, “Don’t let it bother you, that just lets them win”, but they already won because men know they can do that to a woman on the street with no consequences. He didn’t see my reaction, and it didn’t matter if he did, he already got the power he wanted. Even if I had not been upset by it, he still has the power. They profit off my beauty, regardless of what I wear. I’d have to be invisible for them not to have that power.

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

There should be a universal coloring agent that identifies people who harass or catcall on the streets, like when someone pulls a fire alarm and the non-washable fluid comes out to identify who pulled it. It could be part of a typical young American’s kit: with their pepper spray and rape whistle.

– AKS

Location: Washington DC capitol hill neighborhood

I’m a 16 year old girl, and I’ve been harassed daily since I was about 14. I must have been harassed more than a few hundred times in my life at least. Generally the harassment I face can be categorised in a few categories:

-Non verbal: They usually just stare at me sensually, and do kissy motions with their mouths, whistle, or lick their lips. Winking is also real common. When I go in some neighbourhoods, basically, and this is not an exaggeration, all the men look at me sultrily, and/or catcall me.

-Verbal badmouthing/Insults: Either they talk shit ‘indirectly” like, “Oh ya, I’d pin that bitch on the wall, and f*ck her hard”, or talk with their friends about all the dirty things they’d do to me. Other times, it’s lone wolves, or groups of guys who scream stuff like “Sucky sucky bitch” or “Hey come over here you f*cking slut, and let me eat your pussy”.

-Verbal non explicit ‘insults’: Like “You’re so pretty, you shouldn’t be so sad. Smile for me”, “Damn, liking the view. Nice ass. Wanna see it up close”, “Hey there…”, “What’s up..”.

-Asking for sexual favours: I don’t get a lot of allowance, so I ask people on the street for money (not pandhandling). If I ask a guy, it’s not at all uncommon for him to ask me to give him a blowjob, f*ck him or kiss him for money. Sometimes, I just innocently ask for directions, and they ask me for a kiss. I’ve had a stranger before, force me to kiss him on the mouth, and let him feel what he wanted under threat of violence, in public.

-Stalking: I’ve had guys who asked me out, or tried going predator on me, follow me for hours after I refused. But mostly it’s just for a few minutes to get a good view.

-Asking me out, and forcing me to go somewhere isolated with them right after: Basically half of the time when I talk to a male stranger, they ask me out, or after I refuse, to just be friends. They all immediately invent bizarre excuses to get me somewhere of intimacy or give me alcohol. I’ve been nearly forced in a car before, and in other bad places. Got molested quite a lot. Nearly raped a few times too. The creepiest thing is, I’ve always told them, than I’m either 14 or 15. And they won’t even back down. Even if I’m not legal. They don’t care.

-Being patronised by a lot of men. A decent amount of men, I don’t know or not well, refer to me as “sweety, “honey”, “sexy”, “babe”. What the f*ck. I’m sick of this. Even though it’s been more than two years, It still affects me. I hate being harassed. Don’t care if he’s hot.

– Anonymous

Location: Paris, France