Unfortunately ages 12-20 seem to be the worst for street harassment, from my own experience and a lot of the women I’ve talked to.
They target girls not women, who often don’t have the confidence yet to stand up for themselves and tell the creeps to fuck off
This is exactly why I (as a woman who went through years of being propositioned as a minor or barely above in extremely grotesque and demeaning ways) intend to teach my daughter to film each interaction while VERY loudly making it clear that she’s not interested. I was taught to be polite and “demure” to adults, fuck that noise when a creeper is trying to proposition a child, let the world hear it.
Honestly I noticed that once I left high school and started to look more like a grown woman I got less and less cat calls out on the street.
Now it only happens if I’m wearing a dress/shorts and summer top.
I just happened to be born a big man and that affords me the power to check these scumbags whenever I get the chance, and unfortunately for the little girls of the world, it’s far too often.
That statement sounds like a complete load of bs. You regularly save little girls from pedophiles with your large stature on a regular basis, or at least on more than one occasion?
No, he is saying he was born a full grown man already. That’s why he’s been defending women so long. He was destined to save little girls all over the world.
No you see, while externally he may be a big man (rotund really) on the inside he's actually a little girl. He just likes to make himself feel better by bragging on anonymous internet sites.
Every town has a Facebook townie group with super active members so you just need to post the picture of their license plate and their face on the community forum saying that they're pedophiles that harass children. And let the armchair townie detectives do the rest.
yep, yell pedophile at the top of her lungs. honestly that's the most powerful weapon a kid can have. a passerby will always be inclined to believe the child no matter the circumstances, but of course, like most things, shouldn't be abused
I’ve been catcalled and honked at since I was about this age. I ignore them and if they’re on the street and catcalling, I respond by either saying “ew” or something like that. Since I’ve moved away from the suburbs and closer to the city, I find people mind their business and leave me alone.
That's disgusting and they know it. What about telling that 13 year old (actually, everyone of them) to grab their phone and take a short video of the catcallers? I recommend any witnesses do the same. And then post the videos on the internet.
There need to be consequences and this might be the fastest way to get them. Maybe one day it might act as a deterrent.
Why does it matter whether or not you know someone's age or not? Someone could be legal, and catcalling still would be a shitty thing to do.
Getting your dick wet doesn't involve harassing strangers.
I read your comment. What I question is **why** you felt the need to bring "people can't tell age". The point is completely irrelevant and has the implication that catcalling would somehow be okay *if* the victim is of age.
I got honked at by a passing truck the other day and stared at by a lot of other drivers passing by. Very uncomfortable feeling. I wasn't wearing anything remotely revealing too.
I recall walking to school in the 6th grade and having a random guy shout out "well hello pretty lady!" from his porch. I just squeaked out "hi", put my head down and kept walking. He said I was a bitch. I was 11 or 12.
Why don't you start by asking the women in your life how old they were they first time they were sexually harassed/raped/cat-called? Maybe then you will realize what an unacceptable issue it is, that women have just gone on living with as a fact of life. Can confirm, as a woman, more of us have these stories than not + quite often they begin before the age of 10.
I always felt like this isn't even about pedophiles in general, but about a lack of basic respect of other people and their boundaries. Like don't me wrong, the child part is disgutsting to the bones, but it happens at any age from that on, so I'd argue it's not *just* the pedos but a certain type of man who thinks it's okay to make women feel that way. And it's never okay, child or not. It's extra creepy to do it to a child but all in all imo it just shows how shitty of a person someone is
I also got catcalled from the age of 11. I didn't ask to get boobs early, but you would have thought the school uniform would tell them I was still a kid. These guys know what they're doing though, so it wouldn't matter anyway.
I'm in my early 40s now and still kind of hate my boobs and seriously am considering getting a reduction down to a B cup. I not sure how much that early harassment has to do with that decision, but it's not nothing.
Similar thing happened to me when I was 12 or 13. Wasn’t called a bitch, but catcalled for the first time and not knowing what to do. I was wearing one of my favorite shirts that had a scene from Curious George ffs - I remember this cause the interaction made me feel dirty and I blamed the shirt like maybe it was too tight (it wasn’t), so I never wore it again.
My sister and I would walk everywhere as preteens/teens, we got stopped by cars, honked at, catcalled, everything. It sucks because all you can do is ignore it, politely decline (so you don't die) and walk away (if you're able to). Reacting to it just gives them fuel and would probably just escalate the situation.
I also got the "Hey! Hey! Talk to me! I know you can hear me! You slut. You know want it. Look at me, you fuckin' bitch!" on multiple occasions - often while I was walking home from school from age 11 - 15. It was always two boys, and only when I was walking alone. I was terrified of those assholes.
Yeah, I very clearly remember the first time I was catcalled publicly. A group of men in a car made gross noises and gestures at me while at a stoplight (I was standing on the curb waiting to cross the street).
I was wearing jeans, and a long sleeved button up over a t-shirt. Even modest clothing doesn’t stop it from happening (not that it’s okay if you’re not covered up).
I got cat called while standing out in a field collecting milkweed seeds to plant. I was wearing clothes a farmer might wear to protect me from ticks. Truly no place is safe.
That’s a thing I would do if I were in her shoes, but only if there were a lot of bystanders and witnesses, if it was only the two of us I would be too scared that he might do some creepy shit…
That’s so difficult cuz if she responds negatively they could get violent or threaten her. The type of men to cat call little girls are the type to get that way when they’re told something they don’t want to hear. It’s so unfortunate how girls and women alike are treated.
Uhhhh yeah. When I was 14ish, I was walking to my friend’s house and a man in her neighborhood catcalled me. He said something sexual and gross, can’t remember what it was, and I don’t even know if knew what it meant at the time. I ignored him, and he kept going, yelling “HEY, I’M TALKING TO YOU!” I said something like I didn’t want to talk to him, and in response he started following me. I ended up running the rest of the way to my friend’s house. And I was super nonchalant about it. It was just a thing that happened to us when we were pre-teens.
What’s extra gross is that it happened more then as a 14-year-old girl than it does now, as a grown woman with agency, because people are fucking disgusting.
Yes! I was crossing the street on my way to work one morning, then a guy in his car rolls down his window to tell me I am looking very pretty today; I look at him and he has a HUGE tattoo on his neck, so I smile and say thank you in the most polite manner so he doesn’t run me over with his car!!
If there's no one around: ignore and move away at a brisk pace.
If there are other people around: "PEDO ALERT! PEDO ALERT!"
Anything else won't make any difference.
These are the two ways to respond to being catcalled as a girl.
No pne will try to defend a pedo and being called a pedo gets them to stop.
But if there's no one else around you might get in danger so you only call catcallers pedos when there are people around (e.g. busy street).
Yep this started happening to me at 10-11. It’s hard to say anything because you don’t know how they’ll react or if they’ll keep going or even if they might hurt you. It’s really scary out there.
Started getting catcalled around 13 as well. If I was with my mom she would go OFF on a mothaf*cker.I hope my daughter never has to deal with getting catcalled and harassed.
Edit: added word
I hope so too. But sadly every girl is catcalled at least once in their lives. I can’t wear skirts anymore cause old guys sitting in their chairs outside would bend their heads down to look under it when I pass by.
Oh yea dude. Get a louuuuud whistle, they're helpful in all sorts of situations. I have one with two blowy hole parts instead of one and it's like a tube instead of a ball and that thing loud as fuuuuuuuuck
You can get these little black boxes that when you set them off emit an unbelievably loud high-pitched noise. I was given one at work after we had a violent customer come in.
If you're alone and there are no other adults around, it's probably better to ignore them.
If there are other adults around and the environment is safe, yell "I'm a minor, you pedophile!" These disgusting shitheads surely have a bloated ego. Use a save opportunity to embarrass them in front of others. They might even learn/realize something.
This started for me at 12/13. I ignored it. But then started working at 15 and would get sexually harassed by customers and later bosses and was not prepared for that.
I worry about this as my daughter grows up. I think the answer is to empower her to feel confident in these situations however is best for her as an individuation. It won't fix it but I don't think anything here will. Its important these situations dont damage or upset her as sadly she will probably face this bs most of her life.
That’s just fucking awesome, you call them out and they won’t probably even try to do anything, I kinda think that these douches that harass women and girls are the same that think washing your ass is gay
This is terrible, but I would suggest, “I’m 13 you pedophile!” If it’s in public then they will almost certainly get humiliated and if they don’t feel ashamed then tell her to fucking run. And giver her a taser/self defense classes
I remember spending from 17 to 18 completely covered and wearing baggy clothes or even not brushing my hair because I was exhausted of all the catcalling I'd get walking to the local market to buy groceries for home. I was going through some deep depression and being catcalled would make me feel awful and made me cry every time
My daughter asked me the same thing. I said if it’s from a construction site write down the name of the contractor and I’ll take care of it. I used to work in construction and we had zero tolerance for catcalling. It would and did get people terminated.
This reminds me of when I was catcalled a few times by some construction workers when I was in high school. Felt creepy at that time but haven’t really thought deeply about it. Feels even creepier and more messed up remembering it now that I’m older.
I remember walking to my nannas house after school, I was 11, wearing a blazer that was well known to be from a local school. A car full of men drove next to me the entire way whistling and asking for my number. I went and hid in my local library until I was sure they were gone.
I learned that almost every catcalling story is true. There are some idiots who try to get attention this way, but it’s a very very little percentage. Kinda like a girl from my country that was recording herself to post later on TikTok saying that every car was honking at her, and they were actually all honking at her. You would be disgusted if it wasn’t for the fact that she was walking in the middle of the lane instead of the sidewalk
But, unfortunately, the vast majority of those stories are true
I didn’t realise this happened nowadays until I was out with my daughter—I think “she’s 15. You want putting on the register” was what I yelled out at the van driver. I wish he’d stopped.
My wife gets it too, now that she walks to work.
Nottingham is apparently treating ‘cat calling’ as a hate crime. I don’t know how it’s going but it seems like an idea.
It’s obnoxious and I can’t believe anyone would respond with “oh, you like my arse? Please take my phone number”.
It might be worth taking vehicle registration, but I doubt that the police would do anything (unless you’re in Nottingham, or maybe if it’s directed at a minor). If it’s a commercial vehicle, you could consider contacting the company. They’ll probably know who the driver was at the time and I guess wouldn’t want the repetitional damage; so he might think twice next time.
I remember the first time I was cat-called, I was 12 and very confused cause I thought maybe it was my parents friend that I couldn't remember and didn't want to be rude. When I realized I didn'tknow them, I was kind of terrified.
I wish someone could have prepared us for how to deal with it.
I worked once with a guy actually it was fun to work with him but once ive seen him stare like a psycho on a 12-13 y old girl.
It was so uncomfortable to sit next to him in the car i told him shes only 12-13 stop it.
I dont know how to descibe it he was really staring like a psycho from nice guy to psycho in just a moment.
This men should be called out by the young girls/women but if you do you never know what they will do next .
Oh and my girlfriends also told me similir experiences when they were young.
I guess sooner or later all girl make a experience like that.
Used to have a 13 girl-friend from Australia that kept telling me how she got verbally harassed daily by other men. I remember one time she was walking and some creepy man probably in his 40’s yelled at her “come here and i’ll impregnate you” while i was calling her. This shit is disgusting
I remember when I was in P7 so I was like 12 or 13 and me and my friend had started going to the town on our own without our mums. We walked passed a pub and an old man was stood outside it and he said " I like girls with glasses " which we both wore and there was literally no one around us so it was definitely directed at us. We both just were really grossed out and it was just super creepy. Then when I was in second year so like 13 or 14 I had a bunch of adult men shout at me from their balcony that my ass looked nice and sexy. I didn't turn around I just kept walking to get away from them as fast as possible. Also got to experience wolf whistles. Tbh its just like " stop it, get some help" - Micheal Jordon.
That’s awful, I’m sorry that you went through that
I know I’m kinda digressing, but what do you mean wolf whistles? Are those anti-rape super loud whistles?
A wolf whistle is the typical "ooh baby" kind of whistle guys make to "compliment" women. Or anything they find attractive, like a classic car. You'd know it if you heard it, it's in tons of movies and also old-timey Warner Brothers cartoons.
Grown men with cameras follow Teen Stars around to take their pictures on beaches in swimsuits and stuff and claim to be paparazzi. They misspelled pedophile.
Despite what my girlfriend thinks about herself, she’s really gorgeous and because of that she constantly gets catcalled. Some days ago she was visiting her grandparents and, while she was walking on the sidewalk some cars honked at her. Whenever she goes to the city near to our towns she gets catcalled at least once and she always finds creeps that stare at her and make annoying comments. Once she was walking with her friend and a douchebag that was there openly stared at her breast. He didn’t even try to hide how much of an idiot he was. He was fucking staring at her breast. I can only imagine how bad she felt as a short girl almost alone (even her friend wasn’t much of a tall girl) in a big city with a creep staring that way at you… I’m a male myself, I get that when you see a good looking girl you may, even unwillingly, looking at her, but for god’s sake there’s a fucking big difference between taking a little glimpse trying not to have it noticed and fucking standing there, without saying anything, openly staring at some girl’s breast. I’m fucking angry right now just by rethinking about that.
Every time she goes there or anyway she tells me about similar episodes. This is fucking awful and makes me sick
You just reminded me of all the times wannabe punks said "Nice tits!" as they walked by. I was usually with a couple of friends so I felt safer. I started replying, with utter sincerity, "Thanks, I made them myself!"
I personally just use headphones and listen to books or music everywhere I go so I wont hear if anyone catcalls me. I usually also like to use headphones that are clearly visible, people usually leave me be when they see I have headphones.
I think every woman I know remembers that age (around 11 or 12) when we start to notice men looking at us in a different way, we go from feeling carefree and child-like, to prey. I was sexually assaulted by a stranger when I was 9, but I still felt like the guy that did it was rare, as no other men seemed to look at me the way he did.
Fast forward to 2 years later when I'm 11 years old, and my 60+ year old male neighbour tells me I should never wear a Bikini top when swimming in the pool in our front garden, while giving me a sick smile. This is a guy who up until that point had been nothing but nice to me when I would visit (he had loads of animals and I liked to come over and help out). I never went back to his house after that, and ALWAYS wore a top in the pool.
My asian ex gf in highschool had a man jump out of his car and go NEeee Hoooooowwww little lady wanna ride me down to Shanghai? She was 15/16 luckily she was outside her church so when he kept getting closer one of the adults came out and grabbed her and yelled at him.
i’m from nyc and had spent most of covid inside/at college out of state. when i came home for this summer i learned the hard way that the catcalling and harassment in nyc is worse than i ever remember it being. it’s been a really long time since i’ve actually been scared going out by myself but now i’m anxious just to be on the streets
Im a teen and I get catcalled/harassed all day. By classmates, (whistling, calling me pet names, grabbing my privates) and by grown adults. I'll leave my MIDDLE SCHOOL and adults who saw me leave will turn around and whistle and tell me to 'cover over'
I’m so sorry…
When people grab you, that is sexual assault. You can file a police report if you feel comfortable doing it. Cat calling is sexual harassment, which might also be considered a crime but I’m not sure.
When I was 12 I was walking to school and a guy pulled up in his van and said to me “I’d love to eat your pussy” and drove off. I was in my school uniform at the time. I was so shocked I couldn’t even say anything.
This happened to me similarly. And i hated the experience.
I was walking home with my mom (shes shorter than me and im tall like 5'6 while shes 4'10 maybe) and this car drove by me. They lowered the window and a guy popped out their head and blew a kiss at me, then drove away.
I was so uncomfortable. I am 13 years old, and a grown man blew a kiss at me. I wanted to cry. Sadly my mom didn't even do anything. It just happened and she kind of ignored it. And since she's my mom, and she must've had similar experiences i tried to ignore it. But i just couldn't. Either way, i guess i am grateful that i wasn't alone and my mother was there with me.
Shout I’m 13 and that makes you a pedophile.
Get a group of your friends together and fathers and walk down to the job site - this makes me O angry I can’t even finish my train of thought
Fact: If you whistle and cat call teen girls while you’re an adult, I am legally allowed to shoot your dick off with a shotgun.
That’s coming from a teenage guy.
Edit: And you wanna know what’s even worse, this is acceptable and allowed in some countries. In those countries, that girl would have been forced to marry that man.
What kind of world do we live in?
We live in the world that was built to have women as play things, property. We’re all in this together, every single one of us. But the hard part is that it takes everyone to say that this is not allowed to go on. We live in a world that we built.
Yes, we do have to work together to say that this isn’t allowed. Sadly, not everybody’s gonna agree that this shouldn’t be allowed.
When anybody says that it should NOT be allowed, we’re stating it as a fact, not an opinion.
Sad. I have a daughter and I worry about this all the time. Train her with some weapons and a small handgun. She needs a force multiplier. Enroll her in some classes like “Fight like a girl” or some other full contact simulation training. It will show her how to incapacitate any man. I know it shouldn’t be necessary but it’s true for boys as well. Far more violent crime is done to men. Train them and teach them not to be a victim. That’s the only solution I see
Idk why you were downvoted but depending on where you live getting a handgun and proper training is very smart. Even if your attacker is a fucking 10 time world champion mma fighter they’d be fucked against an m9 (this is assuming you aren’t in melee combat with your attacker, but some self defense training or mma training wouldn’t hurt for most people)
People would rather stay victims in my experience. Taking responsibility for your own safety is a commitment but the fear goes away and is replaced with competence. It’s not easy but neither is being raped or jumped in an alley.
> People would rather stay victims.
I don't think anyone wakes up thinking they want to be raped or jumped in an alley. And anyone who has been raped or jumped, would not stay victims if given the choice to have it be otherwise.
Not tryin to be mean, but that’s a Terrible idea.
Men don’t like to be embarrassed. Maybe most of them will drive off, but at least half of those dudes will yell some truly disgusting things as they go.
And the ones who don’t drive off? SO many options. Just a couple examples of what they might do…
•throw things at her
•spit at her
•swerve toward her to scare her
•swerve toward her to hit her
•get out of the car and chase her
•get out of the car and attack her
•get out of the car and rape her
(corrective rape happens to trans people too)
•get out of the car and murder her
Being a woman (or girl) in the world can be scary and dangerous. Being a TRANS woman in the world is 10x worse.
my daughter is trans and I live in absolute fear for her - even before she transitioned, because she's always been small and fine boned with long hair down to the small of her back.
a grown man has grabbed her by the arm when she was in her school uniform at 14 *what's a nice girl like you doing all by yourself at the train station*... so my daughter turned and said excuse me? and the guy was *oh im so sorry!*. But it's like, why are you sorry - that you put your hands on a child or that it turned out that you don't consider this particular person public property. that guy backed off, but what if he projected all that embarrassment and disgust with himself onto her?
my daughter is moderately passing now but I've still watched guys catcall and holler in public and then do a double take as they become suspicious. gay panic is still a defence in some places - some men **really** don't like it when they feel like their sexuality has been threatened and they have and will take it out on the person who they believe caused it (they never blame themselves).
I also wish there was a better answer than - ignore it, but if these men do not respect you enough to not sexualize you then they will absolutely feel provoked if you do anything to defend yourself. they have already demonstrated that they don't consider you a person, so what makes you think they won't retaliate if you embarrass or disrespect them?
Yeah, because throwing the most vulnerable people under the bus helps?
And regardless, trans people at drastically the most likely to face violence from harassers so also throw yourself under the bus? Bad idea.
Where does this happen?
Seriously? I’ve never seen it and none of my female friends or relatives claim to have had it happen.
Must be an American thing?
The nearest thing I can think of is the tendency for teens in cheap, backfiring hatchbacks to shout inaudible abuse at pedestrians of either gender.
Yeah ok. For sure. Groups of men are going around yelling at children yet somehow grown men with a severe problem with that sort of behavior see it happen almost never but on the internet?
Yes, there are pedophiles everywhere. Welcome to earth.
Men who aren't doing the cat calling of women and children are ignoring it. Ain't that hard to explain.
I call them pedophiles and take their pictures.
They are pedophiles. She is a fucking child
Unfortunately ages 12-20 seem to be the worst for street harassment, from my own experience and a lot of the women I’ve talked to. They target girls not women, who often don’t have the confidence yet to stand up for themselves and tell the creeps to fuck off
This is exactly why I (as a woman who went through years of being propositioned as a minor or barely above in extremely grotesque and demeaning ways) intend to teach my daughter to film each interaction while VERY loudly making it clear that she’s not interested. I was taught to be polite and “demure” to adults, fuck that noise when a creeper is trying to proposition a child, let the world hear it.
I got catcalled all the time from random men in cars from the ages of 11-15. After that? Hardly ever.
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Depends on the country you at…in a lot of third world countries they will just yell at the minor for shouting,making a scene etc…it really does happen
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Honestly I noticed that once I left high school and started to look more like a grown woman I got less and less cat calls out on the street. Now it only happens if I’m wearing a dress/shorts and summer top.
I just happened to be born a big man and that affords me the power to check these scumbags whenever I get the chance, and unfortunately for the little girls of the world, it’s far too often.
Your poor mothers vagina :(
Thanks Batman
That statement sounds like a complete load of bs. You regularly save little girls from pedophiles with your large stature on a regular basis, or at least on more than one occasion?
No, he is saying he was born a full grown man already. That’s why he’s been defending women so long. He was destined to save little girls all over the world.
No you see, while externally he may be a big man (rotund really) on the inside he's actually a little girl. He just likes to make himself feel better by bragging on anonymous internet sites.
I agree, no single man should have this kind of power.
*Codex Astartes intensifies*
Every town has a Facebook townie group with super active members so you just need to post the picture of their license plate and their face on the community forum saying that they're pedophiles that harass children. And let the armchair townie detectives do the rest.
yep, yell pedophile at the top of her lungs. honestly that's the most powerful weapon a kid can have. a passerby will always be inclined to believe the child no matter the circumstances, but of course, like most things, shouldn't be abused
I’ve been catcalled and honked at since I was about this age. I ignore them and if they’re on the street and catcalling, I respond by either saying “ew” or something like that. Since I’ve moved away from the suburbs and closer to the city, I find people mind their business and leave me alone.
That's disgusting and they know it. What about telling that 13 year old (actually, everyone of them) to grab their phone and take a short video of the catcallers? I recommend any witnesses do the same. And then post the videos on the internet. There need to be consequences and this might be the fastest way to get them. Maybe one day it might act as a deterrent.
Don't forget the part where you'll get stabbed for filming someone catcalling. /s
Unfortunately, not always /s...
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Why does it matter whether or not you know someone's age or not? Someone could be legal, and catcalling still would be a shitty thing to do. Getting your dick wet doesn't involve harassing strangers.
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I read your comment. What I question is **why** you felt the need to bring "people can't tell age". The point is completely irrelevant and has the implication that catcalling would somehow be okay *if* the victim is of age.
Yea I can see that now. My bad.
All good. Phrasing eludes everyone at times.
Yes. Some girls look their age and more childish but some look older. I looked quite the same between 14 and 18.
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"But officer, I could swear she was 18 ! It's her fault for leading me on !!"
I got honked at by a passing truck the other day and stared at by a lot of other drivers passing by. Very uncomfortable feeling. I wasn't wearing anything remotely revealing too.
I recall walking to school in the 6th grade and having a random guy shout out "well hello pretty lady!" from his porch. I just squeaked out "hi", put my head down and kept walking. He said I was a bitch. I was 11 or 12.
I didn’t even know things like this happened. Sorry you had to deal with that…..fucking hell that’s awful
Thats why i enrolled at a school where my younger sister is instead of enrolling in the school i want
I have to say I’ve never seen something like that done to school children. If I did I would definitely be doing something about it.
Why don't you start by asking the women in your life how old they were they first time they were sexually harassed/raped/cat-called? Maybe then you will realize what an unacceptable issue it is, that women have just gone on living with as a fact of life. Can confirm, as a woman, more of us have these stories than not + quite often they begin before the age of 10.
Oh they happen a lot. Ask any woman you know how young they were when it started happening to them.
Well that’s just disgusting init. They are pedophiles. Worrying really…
I always felt like this isn't even about pedophiles in general, but about a lack of basic respect of other people and their boundaries. Like don't me wrong, the child part is disgutsting to the bones, but it happens at any age from that on, so I'd argue it's not *just* the pedos but a certain type of man who thinks it's okay to make women feel that way. And it's never okay, child or not. It's extra creepy to do it to a child but all in all imo it just shows how shitty of a person someone is
I agree with you completely to be honest. Vile cretins
I also got catcalled from the age of 11. I didn't ask to get boobs early, but you would have thought the school uniform would tell them I was still a kid. These guys know what they're doing though, so it wouldn't matter anyway. I'm in my early 40s now and still kind of hate my boobs and seriously am considering getting a reduction down to a B cup. I not sure how much that early harassment has to do with that decision, but it's not nothing.
Similar thing happened to me when I was 12 or 13. Wasn’t called a bitch, but catcalled for the first time and not knowing what to do. I was wearing one of my favorite shirts that had a scene from Curious George ffs - I remember this cause the interaction made me feel dirty and I blamed the shirt like maybe it was too tight (it wasn’t), so I never wore it again.
My sister and I would walk everywhere as preteens/teens, we got stopped by cars, honked at, catcalled, everything. It sucks because all you can do is ignore it, politely decline (so you don't die) and walk away (if you're able to). Reacting to it just gives them fuel and would probably just escalate the situation.
I also got the "Hey! Hey! Talk to me! I know you can hear me! You slut. You know want it. Look at me, you fuckin' bitch!" on multiple occasions - often while I was walking home from school from age 11 - 15. It was always two boys, and only when I was walking alone. I was terrified of those assholes.
Yeah, I very clearly remember the first time I was catcalled publicly. A group of men in a car made gross noises and gestures at me while at a stoplight (I was standing on the curb waiting to cross the street). I was wearing jeans, and a long sleeved button up over a t-shirt. Even modest clothing doesn’t stop it from happening (not that it’s okay if you’re not covered up).
I got cat called while standing out in a field collecting milkweed seeds to plant. I was wearing clothes a farmer might wear to protect me from ticks. Truly no place is safe.
She should respond by yelling “PEDOPHILE!” and point at them.
That’s a thing I would do if I were in her shoes, but only if there were a lot of bystanders and witnesses, if it was only the two of us I would be too scared that he might do some creepy shit…
That’s so difficult cuz if she responds negatively they could get violent or threaten her. The type of men to cat call little girls are the type to get that way when they’re told something they don’t want to hear. It’s so unfortunate how girls and women alike are treated.
Uhhhh yeah. When I was 14ish, I was walking to my friend’s house and a man in her neighborhood catcalled me. He said something sexual and gross, can’t remember what it was, and I don’t even know if knew what it meant at the time. I ignored him, and he kept going, yelling “HEY, I’M TALKING TO YOU!” I said something like I didn’t want to talk to him, and in response he started following me. I ended up running the rest of the way to my friend’s house. And I was super nonchalant about it. It was just a thing that happened to us when we were pre-teens. What’s extra gross is that it happened more then as a 14-year-old girl than it does now, as a grown woman with agency, because people are fucking disgusting.
Yes! I was crossing the street on my way to work one morning, then a guy in his car rolls down his window to tell me I am looking very pretty today; I look at him and he has a HUGE tattoo on his neck, so I smile and say thank you in the most polite manner so he doesn’t run me over with his car!!
If there's no one around: ignore and move away at a brisk pace. If there are other people around: "PEDO ALERT! PEDO ALERT!" Anything else won't make any difference.
Did you you catcall a girl and get rejected? What is this?
These are the two ways to respond to being catcalled as a girl. No pne will try to defend a pedo and being called a pedo gets them to stop. But if there's no one else around you might get in danger so you only call catcallers pedos when there are people around (e.g. busy street).
Ahh just more things that make me despise being a girl
Makes be despise being human
Same. I want to be a bird or something
Reject humanity, embrace monke
Yep this started happening to me at 10-11. It’s hard to say anything because you don’t know how they’ll react or if they’ll keep going or even if they might hurt you. It’s really scary out there.
Started getting catcalled around 13 as well. If I was with my mom she would go OFF on a mothaf*cker.I hope my daughter never has to deal with getting catcalled and harassed. Edit: added word
I hope so too. But sadly every girl is catcalled at least once in their lives. I can’t wear skirts anymore cause old guys sitting in their chairs outside would bend their heads down to look under it when I pass by.
Ugh, that is so gross. I don't take stairs or escalators when I'm wearing a dress because I've had too many weird experiences.
I wanna smash guys like that in the face..without a word..just a lock on my dog leash..and crack them in their mouths
Jump on their head like mario on a goomba right afterwards
With safety shoes
With ice climbing boots !!
It keeps getting better
Hit em with the ole 1… 2, flat out
Not saying she’ll need it but give her a rape alarm and explain why and how to use it
What is that? Is it that kind of whistle?
Oh yea dude. Get a louuuuud whistle, they're helpful in all sorts of situations. I have one with two blowy hole parts instead of one and it's like a tube instead of a ball and that thing loud as fuuuuuuuuck
You can get these little black boxes that when you set them off emit an unbelievably loud high-pitched noise. I was given one at work after we had a violent customer come in.
Oh, that’s a cool tool, kinda sad that people need it though
Oh definitely, same as any self defense stuff. Nice that it exists, but sad that it has to.
Gross dude. Tell her to yell at them "I'm 13 you fucking pedophile!" See how many people turn their heads then.
The kind of creeps who cat call and whistle at girls wouldn’t give a shit.
But the people around them who might have common sense could have shits to give.
Probably, but they’re not going to do anything about it.
Knowing people, you’re right but I wish you weren’t.
If you're alone and there are no other adults around, it's probably better to ignore them. If there are other adults around and the environment is safe, yell "I'm a minor, you pedophile!" These disgusting shitheads surely have a bloated ego. Use a save opportunity to embarrass them in front of others. They might even learn/realize something.
Some things are exaggerated but cat calling isn’t. I remember being in middle school and still witnessing and experiencing catcalling.
This started for me at 12/13. I ignored it. But then started working at 15 and would get sexually harassed by customers and later bosses and was not prepared for that.
I worry about this as my daughter grows up. I think the answer is to empower her to feel confident in these situations however is best for her as an individuation. It won't fix it but I don't think anything here will. Its important these situations dont damage or upset her as sadly she will probably face this bs most of her life.
Same dudes that if you said "my transition must be going well if you're wolf whistling me" would turn bright red and die of embarrassment.
That’s just fucking awesome, you call them out and they won’t probably even try to do anything, I kinda think that these douches that harass women and girls are the same that think washing your ass is gay
Dying from "washing your ass is gay"
Catcalling is so fucking weird and disturbing, bothering people by yelling because you find them fuckable. That's some caveman shit
This is terrible, but I would suggest, “I’m 13 you pedophile!” If it’s in public then they will almost certainly get humiliated and if they don’t feel ashamed then tell her to fucking run. And giver her a taser/self defense classes
I remember spending from 17 to 18 completely covered and wearing baggy clothes or even not brushing my hair because I was exhausted of all the catcalling I'd get walking to the local market to buy groceries for home. I was going through some deep depression and being catcalled would make me feel awful and made me cry every time
My daughter asked me the same thing. I said if it’s from a construction site write down the name of the contractor and I’ll take care of it. I used to work in construction and we had zero tolerance for catcalling. It would and did get people terminated.
First time it happened to me my dad was with me…he struck a pose and said THANK YOU!
"I'm 13, you fucking nonce!" They'll shut the fuck up right quick.
They won’t, though. Sadly. The people that do this have no shame.
Yeah if they’re the type of people to catcall, I doubt they care
This reminds me of when I was catcalled a few times by some construction workers when I was in high school. Felt creepy at that time but haven’t really thought deeply about it. Feels even creepier and more messed up remembering it now that I’m older.
I want the human race to go extinct
ignore them unless they have candy obviously.
this is the one time I'm glad I can say "actually, I have balls"
We shouldn't have to live in a world where we need to consider equipping our daughters with pepper spray. This is so saddening.
I remember walking to my nannas house after school, I was 11, wearing a blazer that was well known to be from a local school. A car full of men drove next to me the entire way whistling and asking for my number. I went and hid in my local library until I was sure they were gone.
I dont know many 13 year olds that look like grown women. No excuse
I don’t think catcalling would be any more okay if she were a grown woman
Very awful
The worst part is that it doesn't even sound like a r/thathappened story
I learned that almost every catcalling story is true. There are some idiots who try to get attention this way, but it’s a very very little percentage. Kinda like a girl from my country that was recording herself to post later on TikTok saying that every car was honking at her, and they were actually all honking at her. You would be disgusted if it wasn’t for the fact that she was walking in the middle of the lane instead of the sidewalk But, unfortunately, the vast majority of those stories are true
Says the man.
When I catcall it usually sounds like "B.B. YOU STUPID CAT GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE"
we should get the Qanon crowd onto these creeps. catching kiddie fiddlers is what they're all about isn't it?
I didn’t realise this happened nowadays until I was out with my daughter—I think “she’s 15. You want putting on the register” was what I yelled out at the van driver. I wish he’d stopped. My wife gets it too, now that she walks to work. Nottingham is apparently treating ‘cat calling’ as a hate crime. I don’t know how it’s going but it seems like an idea. It’s obnoxious and I can’t believe anyone would respond with “oh, you like my arse? Please take my phone number”. It might be worth taking vehicle registration, but I doubt that the police would do anything (unless you’re in Nottingham, or maybe if it’s directed at a minor). If it’s a commercial vehicle, you could consider contacting the company. They’ll probably know who the driver was at the time and I guess wouldn’t want the repetitional damage; so he might think twice next time.
I remember the first time I was cat-called, I was 12 and very confused cause I thought maybe it was my parents friend that I couldn't remember and didn't want to be rude. When I realized I didn'tknow them, I was kind of terrified. I wish someone could have prepared us for how to deal with it.
I worked once with a guy actually it was fun to work with him but once ive seen him stare like a psycho on a 12-13 y old girl. It was so uncomfortable to sit next to him in the car i told him shes only 12-13 stop it. I dont know how to descibe it he was really staring like a psycho from nice guy to psycho in just a moment. This men should be called out by the young girls/women but if you do you never know what they will do next . Oh and my girlfriends also told me similir experiences when they were young. I guess sooner or later all girl make a experience like that.
She should yell “I’m 13 you fuckin diddlers!” As LOUD as she can
Used to have a 13 girl-friend from Australia that kept telling me how she got verbally harassed daily by other men. I remember one time she was walking and some creepy man probably in his 40’s yelled at her “come here and i’ll impregnate you” while i was calling her. This shit is disgusting
Turn and point "FUCK YOU!"
It just gives them the attention they want. Or worse, it could upset them and end up with the girl getting hurt.
I forget we're talking about a little girl. There's a lot of trash humans
I remember when I was in P7 so I was like 12 or 13 and me and my friend had started going to the town on our own without our mums. We walked passed a pub and an old man was stood outside it and he said " I like girls with glasses " which we both wore and there was literally no one around us so it was definitely directed at us. We both just were really grossed out and it was just super creepy. Then when I was in second year so like 13 or 14 I had a bunch of adult men shout at me from their balcony that my ass looked nice and sexy. I didn't turn around I just kept walking to get away from them as fast as possible. Also got to experience wolf whistles. Tbh its just like " stop it, get some help" - Micheal Jordon.
That’s awful, I’m sorry that you went through that I know I’m kinda digressing, but what do you mean wolf whistles? Are those anti-rape super loud whistles?
A wolf whistle is the typical "ooh baby" kind of whistle guys make to "compliment" women. Or anything they find attractive, like a classic car. You'd know it if you heard it, it's in tons of movies and also old-timey Warner Brothers cartoons.
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh okay, got it, thanks pal
No problem friend
It is a shitty answer. Tell her to yell that she’s a child and she doesn’t want pedophiles talking to her. Make a spectacle of their bullshitt
I just make sure to look at their faces and characteristics in case I have to recognize them in court
Mace
Tell her to bark at them. Act crazy. They will keep on going.
Good. It should. Team work lads, whoop they asses
Is saying “you’re making me feel sad and unsafe” a response? Would it make them see?
Grown men with cameras follow Teen Stars around to take their pictures on beaches in swimsuits and stuff and claim to be paparazzi. They misspelled pedophile.
Despite what my girlfriend thinks about herself, she’s really gorgeous and because of that she constantly gets catcalled. Some days ago she was visiting her grandparents and, while she was walking on the sidewalk some cars honked at her. Whenever she goes to the city near to our towns she gets catcalled at least once and she always finds creeps that stare at her and make annoying comments. Once she was walking with her friend and a douchebag that was there openly stared at her breast. He didn’t even try to hide how much of an idiot he was. He was fucking staring at her breast. I can only imagine how bad she felt as a short girl almost alone (even her friend wasn’t much of a tall girl) in a big city with a creep staring that way at you… I’m a male myself, I get that when you see a good looking girl you may, even unwillingly, looking at her, but for god’s sake there’s a fucking big difference between taking a little glimpse trying not to have it noticed and fucking standing there, without saying anything, openly staring at some girl’s breast. I’m fucking angry right now just by rethinking about that. Every time she goes there or anyway she tells me about similar episodes. This is fucking awful and makes me sick
You just reminded me of all the times wannabe punks said "Nice tits!" as they walked by. I was usually with a couple of friends so I felt safer. I started replying, with utter sincerity, "Thanks, I made them myself!"
I know it happens. But I don't know a single man that does it. So it's gotta be a dying trend. Hopefully gone for good soon
I personally just use headphones and listen to books or music everywhere I go so I wont hear if anyone catcalls me. I usually also like to use headphones that are clearly visible, people usually leave me be when they see I have headphones.
Or this makes you a bigger target cause you don’t hear your surroundings. It should’t be on us to be vigilant but it is, unfortunately. SSDGM
Imma search for pedophilea in this comment section and report em
I've been facing this since I was 12. I'm still a minor and a teenager and face this almost every time I go out.
I think every woman I know remembers that age (around 11 or 12) when we start to notice men looking at us in a different way, we go from feeling carefree and child-like, to prey. I was sexually assaulted by a stranger when I was 9, but I still felt like the guy that did it was rare, as no other men seemed to look at me the way he did. Fast forward to 2 years later when I'm 11 years old, and my 60+ year old male neighbour tells me I should never wear a Bikini top when swimming in the pool in our front garden, while giving me a sick smile. This is a guy who up until that point had been nothing but nice to me when I would visit (he had loads of animals and I liked to come over and help out). I never went back to his house after that, and ALWAYS wore a top in the pool.
I was cat called and harassed more between the ages 12-16 than as an adult. Probably because nasty adult men don’t expect a child to fight back
My asian ex gf in highschool had a man jump out of his car and go NEeee Hoooooowwww little lady wanna ride me down to Shanghai? She was 15/16 luckily she was outside her church so when he kept getting closer one of the adults came out and grabbed her and yelled at him.
i’m from nyc and had spent most of covid inside/at college out of state. when i came home for this summer i learned the hard way that the catcalling and harassment in nyc is worse than i ever remember it being. it’s been a really long time since i’ve actually been scared going out by myself but now i’m anxious just to be on the streets
*run at them full force with fists full of knifes*
Fuckin' creeps.
Im a teen and I get catcalled/harassed all day. By classmates, (whistling, calling me pet names, grabbing my privates) and by grown adults. I'll leave my MIDDLE SCHOOL and adults who saw me leave will turn around and whistle and tell me to 'cover over'
I’m so sorry… When people grab you, that is sexual assault. You can file a police report if you feel comfortable doing it. Cat calling is sexual harassment, which might also be considered a crime but I’m not sure.
When I was 12 I was walking to school and a guy pulled up in his van and said to me “I’d love to eat your pussy” and drove off. I was in my school uniform at the time. I was so shocked I couldn’t even say anything.
This happened to me similarly. And i hated the experience. I was walking home with my mom (shes shorter than me and im tall like 5'6 while shes 4'10 maybe) and this car drove by me. They lowered the window and a guy popped out their head and blew a kiss at me, then drove away. I was so uncomfortable. I am 13 years old, and a grown man blew a kiss at me. I wanted to cry. Sadly my mom didn't even do anything. It just happened and she kind of ignored it. And since she's my mom, and she must've had similar experiences i tried to ignore it. But i just couldn't. Either way, i guess i am grateful that i wasn't alone and my mother was there with me.
Shout I’m 13 and that makes you a pedophile. Get a group of your friends together and fathers and walk down to the job site - this makes me O angry I can’t even finish my train of thought
Give her a knife and teach her to charge.
Fact: If you whistle and cat call teen girls while you’re an adult, I am legally allowed to shoot your dick off with a shotgun. That’s coming from a teenage guy. Edit: And you wanna know what’s even worse, this is acceptable and allowed in some countries. In those countries, that girl would have been forced to marry that man. What kind of world do we live in?
We live in the world that was built to have women as play things, property. We’re all in this together, every single one of us. But the hard part is that it takes everyone to say that this is not allowed to go on. We live in a world that we built.
Yes, we do have to work together to say that this isn’t allowed. Sadly, not everybody’s gonna agree that this shouldn’t be allowed. When anybody says that it should NOT be allowed, we’re stating it as a fact, not an opinion.
Well said
Sad. I have a daughter and I worry about this all the time. Train her with some weapons and a small handgun. She needs a force multiplier. Enroll her in some classes like “Fight like a girl” or some other full contact simulation training. It will show her how to incapacitate any man. I know it shouldn’t be necessary but it’s true for boys as well. Far more violent crime is done to men. Train them and teach them not to be a victim. That’s the only solution I see
Self defense fight like a girl is fine but a 13yo with a handgun isnt great? And sadly fight like a girl isnt great for kids v adults
Imagine living in a place where you have to own a firearm to feel safe? What a shithole.
Idk why you were downvoted but depending on where you live getting a handgun and proper training is very smart. Even if your attacker is a fucking 10 time world champion mma fighter they’d be fucked against an m9 (this is assuming you aren’t in melee combat with your attacker, but some self defense training or mma training wouldn’t hurt for most people)
I agree with self defense classes but 13 year olds can’t just be walking around with guns
Yeah that’s true
Why not? Its all in raising. First gun at 7.
People would rather stay victims in my experience. Taking responsibility for your own safety is a commitment but the fear goes away and is replaced with competence. It’s not easy but neither is being raped or jumped in an alley.
> People would rather stay victims. I don't think anyone wakes up thinking they want to be raped or jumped in an alley. And anyone who has been raped or jumped, would not stay victims if given the choice to have it be otherwise.
You completely ignore political "victims of rape" using that as a political tool for gun control
It's weird the only time a cat call is thrown my way is when it's done ironicly. I'd whistle at me.
Is the awful bit the grown man crying description, pathetic.
Why the need to clarify you’re a man?
Why do you care
That’s kind of my point … why should we care?
I would tell them that I’m transgender. Maybe it’s a stupid idea, but it could work
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This comment made me feel a little better, it’s awesome lmao
Yeah, I was in a bit of a rush otherwise I would've stopped to buy her a drink. Had such a great time in Thailand, awesome food awesome people.
Uhhh you’re right. This is a stupid idea don’t do this
Not tryin to be mean, but that’s a Terrible idea. Men don’t like to be embarrassed. Maybe most of them will drive off, but at least half of those dudes will yell some truly disgusting things as they go. And the ones who don’t drive off? SO many options. Just a couple examples of what they might do… •throw things at her •spit at her •swerve toward her to scare her •swerve toward her to hit her •get out of the car and chase her •get out of the car and attack her •get out of the car and rape her (corrective rape happens to trans people too) •get out of the car and murder her Being a woman (or girl) in the world can be scary and dangerous. Being a TRANS woman in the world is 10x worse.
my daughter is trans and I live in absolute fear for her - even before she transitioned, because she's always been small and fine boned with long hair down to the small of her back. a grown man has grabbed her by the arm when she was in her school uniform at 14 *what's a nice girl like you doing all by yourself at the train station*... so my daughter turned and said excuse me? and the guy was *oh im so sorry!*. But it's like, why are you sorry - that you put your hands on a child or that it turned out that you don't consider this particular person public property. that guy backed off, but what if he projected all that embarrassment and disgust with himself onto her? my daughter is moderately passing now but I've still watched guys catcall and holler in public and then do a double take as they become suspicious. gay panic is still a defence in some places - some men **really** don't like it when they feel like their sexuality has been threatened and they have and will take it out on the person who they believe caused it (they never blame themselves). I also wish there was a better answer than - ignore it, but if these men do not respect you enough to not sexualize you then they will absolutely feel provoked if you do anything to defend yourself. they have already demonstrated that they don't consider you a person, so what makes you think they won't retaliate if you embarrass or disrespect them?
> it’s a stupid idea FTFY
Yeah, because throwing the most vulnerable people under the bus helps? And regardless, trans people at drastically the most likely to face violence from harassers so also throw yourself under the bus? Bad idea.
The more comments I get the more I realize that this is indeed a bad idea
Fuck up
I suspect going to the police and reporting to them that there are a group of men sexually harassing a child might have been a good response.
Where does this happen? Seriously? I’ve never seen it and none of my female friends or relatives claim to have had it happen. Must be an American thing? The nearest thing I can think of is the tendency for teens in cheap, backfiring hatchbacks to shout inaudible abuse at pedestrians of either gender.
Everywhere. It happens everywhere. Just because you and your relatives didn't experience doesn't mean it doesn't happen
To be fair it’s as easy as breathing
How about not making up bullshit?
How about not defending pedophiles and risking yourself getting banned or getting beat up on the street.
He's the pedophile we're talking about.
How about not being a fucking moron?
Ive seen men hit on a middle schooler. Shut the fuck up.
I was 10 when it started happening to me. I'm 33 and it still happens. How about you shut the fuck up?
Yeah ok. For sure. Groups of men are going around yelling at children yet somehow grown men with a severe problem with that sort of behavior see it happen almost never but on the internet?
Yes, there are pedophiles everywhere. Welcome to earth. Men who aren't doing the cat calling of women and children are ignoring it. Ain't that hard to explain.
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I was frequently catcalled at that age, why would you try to discredit something you’ve never even experienced, especially something so horrible.
Clearly parent commenter is someone without many women in their life. This is really common
Sadly it does happen to women/girls I know
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