Justice

Sons React to Their Moms Getting Catcalled

October 1st 2015

Digital storytelling network The Scene posted a viral video of dads watching their daughters getting catcalled in August, and the company just released footage of sons seeing their mothers experience the exact same thing.

RELATED: Watch This Woman Get Catcalled 108 Times In One Day

Like the fathers video, this one takes place in New York City, a street harassment hub since everyone is in close quarters. The clip below opens with Fran and Donovan, a mother and son duo with high opinions of each other.

"She's one of my favorite people," Donovan says. "You can see it's all smiles whenever we see each other."

But Donovan is not all smiles when his mother is sexually harassed on the sidewalk.

"Fucking unbelievable," he says. "I mean my mother is beautiful, it happens. But I hate it though."


The clip moves on to Angela and Max, a younger boy who is also unhappy watching his mom get catcalled in New York.

"That's weird," Max says. "Like, he looked a lot older. He just, like, walked up to you and said that stuff, I don't know what he was trying to get at there. If you just saw a girl walking on the street, why do you need to comment about that stuff?"

Max points out that women can be more vulnerable to street harassment when they're not with men.

"That's just creepy," Max says. "If I was uncomfortable and someone kept saying that stuff to me, it would make me feel like an object probably."

The video ends with mom and son Elizabeth and Tyson. Elizabeth explains that she wishes she could make herself glamorous at times but is worried about being harassed on the street.

"There are days that I want to dress up," she says. "I want to fix my hair, i want to do my makeup, I want to wear heels, but I don't need 20 people on each block asking me for their number, asking me to be pulled over. That's why I just kind of dumb it down and don't care whether I have on sweatpants or holey pants or [if] my hair is done. But I do miss being a woman that's pretty. I understand that I'm beautiful in sweatpants and with my hair tied up, but sometimes I do want to dress up."

Tyson expresses disgust when he sees young men hitting on his mom.

"She's too old for you guys," he says. "Go to school."

RELATED: How Women Responded to Catcallers In The Past

You can watch dads reacting to their daughters getting catcalled below:

Share your opinion

Is street harassment a problem in your community?

No 31%Yes 69%