Cat-calling is a modern trend that is popular amongst boys. See, my wording was specific: I believe that when a male cat-calls a woman, he’s simply a “boy” not a “man.” I accepted it. At the age of fifteen, I have accepted the concept that women are oftentimes cat-called and verbally harassed, yet after reading “Verbal Harassment” by Isabella W., I came to several realizations - one being that verbal harassment is not something that I have to accept.

I’m thankful for this article because it reminded me that I am not alone in my experiences. Thankfully, when being yelled at vulgarly, I have never been walking alone, yet this article provoked me to consider those who have. I believe that it is a sad reality of society that women have been trained to accept verbal abuse from strangers, and I find it to be of the utmost importance that we break the habit of silence.

As a fifteen-year-old girl, I have the disadvantage of saying that I have been verbally harassed in the same way that Isabella Winkler explained. I believe that this harassment derives from the double standard that must be abolished. As she explained, after being verbally abused, her first thought was to blame herself. She was quick to excuse the males: “They were just being boys.”