Photo: Instagram
"Dear Catcallers: It's not a compliment."
By Loveology University — Written on Apr 01, 2020
Here’s a way to make a statement about creepy guys who sexually harass or heckle you on the street ...
Take a selfie with them!
That's what Noa Jansma, a young woman living in Amsterdam, decided to do after growing sick of strangers on the street yelling rapey stuff like, “Hey Baby, how about a kiss?” or “Hey sexy, where are you going all alone?”
"I know what I would do with you, baby."
Noa Jansma is the 24-year-old student who decided to take back her power from the men who regularly sexually harass her as she simply tries to walk down the street.
She had the ingenious idea of taking selfies with these men, then shared their faces with the world — literally — via an Instagram account she dubbed @dearcatllers.
And here's the kicker ...
These clueless men actually agreed to be photographed, because they have NO IDEA they were doing anything wrong!
"honks at me 3 times with his scooter, approaches from behind and cuts off my way* "God bless, When I see you, all I get is wild thoughts, wild, Wild Thoughts!! Darling" *honks again 3 times*"
In an effort to shed some light on this very real form of verbal harassment, she took it upon herself to expose the guys saying such disturbing things to her as, “Hey horny girl, why don’t you smile?”
FYI, gentlemen. That is not a compliment.
“After following me straight for 10 minutes 'sexy girl Where you goin'?? Can I come with you?'" reads the caption under one post standing side by side with her widely grinning stalker.
So many women found themselves able to relate to her photo story that her Instagram account has gained global attention, being called “brilliant” by many women.
Interestingly, it has more often been dubbed “ridiculous” by men.
One man's disheartening, chauvinistic comment on the post below captures the far too many men's take on the issue of street harassment:
"Yeah, did what you expect then? Limiting men's right to express his mind? Life is hard, if you even cant deal with something like this, then stay at home is the best choice you have."
Jansma launched the account in August of 2017 with this statement regarding her mission and objective:
“#dearcatcallers, it's not a compliment.
"This Instagram has the aim to create awareness about the objectification of women in daily life.
"Since many people still don’t know how often and in whatever context ‘catcalling’ happens, I’ll be showing my catcallers within the period of one month.
"By making the selfie, both the objectifier and the object are assembled in one composition. Myself, as the object, standing in front of the catcallers represents the reversed power ration which is caused by this project.
"Please join me in the fight and post your own #dearcatcallers or send me a DM."
Her brilliant project went viral, amassing 299k followers to date, and sparked a worldwide discussion.
Women weighed in on several posts with one-word reactions such as "gross" or "repulsive", while the majority of men who chimed in came off as both defensive and unsure as to why she and other women don’t seem to like receiving such compliments.
Jansma's initial role in the project concluded one-month after she began it, on September 30, 2017, with women thanking her for her courage and bravery.
“Thank for all the support and messages," she concluded. " It has been made clear that catcalling is still a common occurrence that many of us are dealing with.”
“My month of posts has ended but it doesn’t mean that catcallers are in the past as well. To show that it’s a global phenomenon and that this art project is not only about me, I’ll pass on this account to different girls around the world. This will be a process, so stay tuned."
I must say, if she ever goes to New York City, she'll be guaranteed enough catcalling selfies to keep posting for the next 10 years.
And in 2018, Jansma presented a TedX Talk in Vincenza, Italy, explaining "how, by taking selfies with her catcallers, she reversed, in terms of power, the roles."
Anka Radakovich is a legendary sex columnist, certified sexologist, sex educator, screenwriter, and author. She is currently a columnist for British GQ and has written for Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Men's Journal, Seventeen, Glamour, Maxim and more.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on October 10, 2017 and was updated with the latest information.
This article was originally published at Sexpert.com. Reprinted with permission from the author.