By now we have all seen the viral video about street harassment, where a woman is seen walking through New York City for 10 hours, receiving countless instances of catcalling. The PSA by the organization Hollaback has sparked conversation about the fine line between compliments and harassment.
While the PSA focused on catcalling in New York City, others have begun to join in on the social experiment. Staff at the New Zealand Herald captured their own version of the viral video, filming hired model Nicole Simpson walking around in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand.
The model wears black pants, a loose long sleeve top and occasionally takes her sunglasses off as she walks past parks, shops, and restaurants. Unlike the New York hidden camera footage, Simpson did not receive a single catcall. However, viewers can see a few men checking her out. For example, while walking by a construction site, a worker is seen taking a look, but does not utter a single "compliment"— quite the opposite from New York.
Interestingly enough, one man is seen stopping and turning around to follow Simpson. The man runs up to her, asking if she is Italian and apologizing for stopping her. Another man also talks to her, but only to ask for directions.
While the videos take place in two different urban area in countries with different social conventions, the differences can be blamed on Americans' attitude towards catcalling.
Many pundits in the U.S. believe that catcalling is a compliment. The NY Post recently printed an op-ed in defense of catcalling.
And as the video continues to make its rounds, the parodies are starting to surface. Funny or Die released a video where a white man receives fist bumps and free gifts during his 10 hour walk.
But harassment is no laughing matter. After Hollaback's PSA went viral, the woman who appeared in the video received offensive and threatening comments on YouTube. "With a body like that, she will get catcalled, no matter where she goes," one comment reads.
And while women in New Zealand can enjoy a walk in the city without being verbally harassed, another YouTube video shows that harassment can even occur in the virtual world.
In another parody of the viral video, YouTube user Shinji72 posted a video showing the reactions and comments of townsfolk in the popular game Skyrim when a female character walks by.
The Skyrim parody features the female character walking around and "wearing skimpy armor and HDT bouncing breast."
"You should see me when you get bored, stranger," one creepy voice says.
While some lines can be linked to a form of catcalling, the intentions of the YouTuber in the video recreation are unknown. The video has received over one million views on YouTube.
Photo Credit: Michael/Flickr
