I have been becawked. I don't even really know what "becawk" means, but my male neighbors and their male friends decided it sounded a lot like my name when they shouted it at me as I was walking home alone at night last week. Perhaps it's a bird call and they were just being friendly and expressing their taste in bird calling. But I think every girl on this campus would agree that it was a catcall instead.
Why this flock of guys thought it was funny and cool to essentially harass me on the street is beyond me, but I'm not the only girl who has to put up with this behavior. I have heard countless stories of girls walking past two or more guys (they never do it alone) and feeling uncomfortable after hearing, "Heeeey, lookin' good in spandex," or "What you got in that bag? Books? You going to the library with those books?" and then being followed down the street. It has got to stop.
Some of us take yoga classes and wear leggings to class. Some of us like to wear skirts. Some of us walk alone. All of us walk home at some point. It doesn't matter what we're doing, what we're wearing or where we're going; don't talk to us as if we can't hear you.
It's bad enough that when we ladies go anywhere we run the risk of being harassed by townies and strangers in Boston. Our worst fear is that they will actually stop the car, get out and come after us. Walking to work every day this summer, I averaged about 4 honks and a few comments each week.
To face that same kind of harassment on campus, from guys who are supposed to be our peers, is absolutely ridiculous. It's not like you're strangers to us; we see you on campus in all walks of life. How do you expect us to respect you in class, clubs, Greek life, etc. if you don't respect us when we're walking past you?
What doesn't help at all is when your fellow guy friends laugh alongside you as you becawk innocent Tufts girls. Even if you think you're totally innocent and just doing it as a joke, it really perpetuates a serious problem. It is harassment. And now you've just entered the realm of acting like a sleazy townie. Congrats.
All you joking catcallers out there are just making it easier for the serious perpetrators to get away with anything. You never know who you could be making uncomfortable, so just stop. You're not helping, you're not funny, and you're just as guilty.
Add on to that the girls who find this sort of behavior flattering. I hate to say it, but, girls, those guys aren't really trying to compliment you on how good you look. They catcall you because they can, because they want to remind you that they have a penis, because they have no respect for women, and because they're too lame to actually treat you like a person and start a real conversation.
It's possible that we've all blushed at the thought that those guys really think we're cute as we strut by. But honestly, once that novelty wears off (and it wears off quickly) you'll realize they're just being obnoxious.
How do you expect us to react? Really, what is the point of catcalling? In the history of catcalling, I doubt there is a single moment when a girl heard "becawk," whistling or honking and actually walked over to that guy and started flirting.
Honestly, did you expect me to come up onto your porch, bat my eyelashes and take my top off after you "becawked" me? What I really wanted to do was turn around and call you out on it, but I didn't, because I was afraid of provoking you further. I figured you would have laughed in my face, and I could have handled that, but I wouldn't have been able to fend for myself against all 10+ of you if things had taken a turn for the worst.
That's probably why no girl ever says anything back. Either that or she doesn't think it's a big deal. Well, some of us do, and I regret not saying anything because I let you get away with harassing me. However, what I regret more is that I didn't stand up for every other girl who hates being catcalled. Try to put yourselves in our shoes, and you might see what I mean.
What if every guy who walked by a group of girls had to face the same jeering that we do? "Ooh, nice mesh shorts, baby! Thanks for the free show!" Imagine that. But no, guys will never know what it's like.
Y'all will never know what it feels like to walk alone and be afraid of what someone might say to you or if they will start following you. You take that for granted. You don't have to just accept it and move on.
Let's try to make this campus a safe and comfortable one instead of one that treats harassment as a joke.
For the Tufts males out there, you all have mothers, maybe sisters and maybe you're lucky enough to even have girlfriends. Just imagine how you would feel if they told you they were too afraid to walk alone after some guys just like you made some rude remarks.
It may seem trivial to you now, but let's not wait until something bad happens to a girl close to you before you wake up and stop the harassment.
Nikki Bruce is a junior majoring in economics.
