This woman has the best trick for trolling catcallers, and the internet is losing it
If you’re a woman in the world, it’s more than likely you’ve experienced the discomfort and straight-up rudeness of a catcaller. Unfortunately, it’s something most women face, often on a daily basis, and it’s usually completely unwarranted and unwanted. But one woman found the best way to troll a catcaller, and the good news is, it’s also the easiest.
In all of its many, many forms, catcalling is sexual harassment — period.
It’s also a completely unfair reality of being a woman. So this author and activist has shown us what happens when a woman agrees with a man’s compliment, No matter how gross and rude the compliment may be.
Piss a man off today: Tell him you agree with his compliment of you.
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 12, 2017
That’s it. We know, it’s almost painstakingly easy, but it’s true. And it makes sense. When a man catcalls you on the street, or harasses you online, or gives you unwarranted attention at all, what he really wants is the power over you. So when you shift that dynamic and simply say, “thank you,” or (even crazier!) agree with him, you’re taking the power back…and he’s probbaly not going to like it.
Feminista Jones, author and activist, explored this in a series of tweets, which have since gone viral. She explained perfectly how the fragile male ego reacts to being thanked, and why it happens.
"Just say Thank You" they cry, not knowing what to do after a woman agrees with them.
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
They even complain when you say "Thanks" with a straight face instead of "Thank you" with frilly giggles and fake blushed 😂😂😂😂
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
I've had SEVERAL men tell me they found "thanks" an offensive reply to a compliment given to a woman 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
She went on to explain that she sees this happen in her own life every single day.
I see it every day because that's my usual response.
"Thanks" and keep walking. I get yelled at. Cursed at. "That's all you gonna say?"
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
That goes back to what most women were saying abt their experiences w/this. The expectation's that women should show no self-appreciation
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
And/or should be overjoyed by a someone (a man) saying something positive about them (that they weren't supposed to know already)
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
And of course, so many women of the internet agrees:
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/863031614372184064
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/863148110410895364
Jones added that it all stems from our male-dominated society, in which the opinions of men simply matter more than anything else, especially when it comes to a woman’s worth.
Men as teachers. Men as validation. Men as approval. Men as decision-makers of what is "hot". Men as arbiters of praise. Men in control.
— FJ is @ #SexDownSouth #SDS22 (@FeministaJones) May 13, 2017
Unfortunately, there are few safe spaces for women when it comes to this kind of behavior, especially now with a myriad of ways for men to be in contact with us, even in the privacy of our own homes (thanks, smartphones!). But we love the message behind this, and hope that it helps women reclaim their own bodies in some small way.
