This Viral Facebook Post Destroys the Most Outrageous Myth About Catcalling
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New York City resident Christen Brandt is gaining attention for her viral Facebook post about being catcalled while she wore winter gear, as it challenges the idea that women who experience street harassment must be "asking for it" because they're wearing revealing clothes.
Brandt, the director of International Operations at non-profit She's the First, opens her post by saying that a man told her she had "great legs" at a subway station while she had on a jacket, scarf, and long boots. The post includes a photo of how she was dressed that day.
When she ignored the man, he followed her and said, "Did you hear me, honey? I said you have nice legs. Damn! Thank you." This infuriated Brandt because she, of course, didn't decide how to dress in the morning with this man's opinion in mind.
She asked readers to keep her experience in mind the next time they hear about a female facing backlash for her attire. Brandt also added that it's wrong of others to blame women for this harassment rather than hold men accountable for their behavior.
"Next time you wonder whether your skirt is too short, next time you ask your teen daughter to change her clothes, or the next time you hear about school dress codes in the news, remember this photo," she wrote. "I am in a fucking parka and boots And it. doesn't. matter. All women have these moments. All of us. And yet the world acts as if it's still our problem to fix. Get your shit together, guys."
The positive response to Brandt's post
Many showed support for her viral Facebook post, which has nearly 190,000 likes as of writing time:
Facebook - facebook.com
The sexist backlash to Brandt's post
While many women thanked Brandt for highlighting the problem of street harassment, she wrote on Facebook a few days later that her viral post made her "a target for intense online harassment." This prompted her to start a website titled Christen's Inbox to share screenshots of the sexist responses she received as a result of speaking out against catcalling. Some of the men who wrote her said that she needed to lighten up and appreciate the catcalling:
Christen's Inbox - christensinbox.com
Christen's Inbox - christensinbox.com
Christen's Inbox - christensinbox.com
Brandt isn't the only woman to call out street harassment on social media.
Several months ago, musician Jase Dillan started filming her harasser on the streets of Boston after he allegedly filmed her crotch and butt without her permission. Dillan's video went viral, and she added that she also saw him film women who appeared to be underage.
Facebook - facebook.com
You can see their interaction here:
"If you have the balls to do something like this on busiest street in Boston, you're a special kind of coward," Dillan told Cosmopolitan in an interview about the video. "If you're brash and brazen enough to do that, you deserve to be called out. [I started raising my voice because] I wanted him to feel the shame that comes with a complete stranger violating your privacy."
