A whistle, a compliment of your outfit or a question as to why you're not smiling. These are all common forms of catcalling today, which most people, female and male, see as wrong. But apparently, not everyone feels that way.
A New York Post article by staff writer Doree Lewak has sparked a new online dialogue about catcalling. In her article titled "Hey, ladies — catcalls are flattering! Deal with it," Lewak defends street harassment, writing that it gives her confidence and makes her feel validated. As you can imagine, the article has received intense criticism online with the vast majority of voices explaining just how wrong Lewak is.
Lewak is certainly entitled to her opinion. Feminism is all about choices, after all. However, as you can probably gather from the headline, there are just too many ridiculous lines in this article to let them go unnoticed. So without further ado, here are the five craziest statements Lewak made about catcalling.
1. "It's not brain science — when a total stranger notices you, it's validating."
Sure, compliments usually make a person feel good, but oftentimes when a stranger notices you on the street, it makes you feel uncomfortable, exposed or even in danger. And who wants to feel like that?
2. "Isn't feminism all about self-empowerment, anyway — or am I just lifting from an impassioned speech by a college porn star named Belle Knox?"
Yes, Lewak. Feminism is about self-empowerment, but if your empowerment comes from men shouting compliments at you on the street, that's not exactly coming from within, now is it? Also, way to try to knock feminism by mocking Knox. I'm pretty sure putting down other women isn't part of feminism either.
3. "Besides, hard hats need something to look at while they're on their lunch break. I can be that objectified sex thing for them!"
Why is it exactly that Lewak thinks construction workers need an "objectified sex thing" to look at as they work?
4. "To clarify, a compliment is 'You're beautiful,' and not 'I like your nipples,' a crude comment beyond the point of no return."
I was glad to see Lewak at least has discerning tastes when it comes to what she considers a compliment. Unfortunately, we don't get to choose what "compliments" men say to us on the street, so when they think catcalling is okay, as this article says it is, they feel like they can get away with saying whatever they want, even statements from the "I like your nipples" category.
5. "I imagine the catcall stretches back to ancient construction times, when the Israelites were building the pyramids, with scores of single Jewish women hiking up their loincloths, hoping for a little attention."
I recognize that Lewak probably meant this as a joke — at least, that's what I'm hoping — but still, why even suggest enslaved Israelites had nothing better to do than worry about how they looked in front of their fellow male slaves?
