intrinsicforce:

la-petite-belle-epoque:

[Cat-calling] reassures men of their sexual power and at the same moment denies any sexuality of women other than the male construction.        

Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves. 

          Berger, John. (1972): Ways of Seeing

This is why I don’t understand fitblr posts that identify attention from male strangers as an incentive to be fit. I’m sure that some women think that commanding male attention makes them more worthwhile as people—but the truth is the cat call reinforces male control over female bodies by creating an atmosphere of fear and discomfort. The argument that men would not at all feel threatened if women approached them on the street is a flawed one, because women hold neither the physical stature nor social authority to really threaten a man. What men should really do is consider what it would be like to be propositioned by another man on the street—and not only any man, but a man who is larger, stronger, and with more social, political, and economic influence.

Then we can talk about mutual understanding.

What men should really do is consider what it would be like to be propositioned by another man on the street—and not only any man, but a man who is larger, stronger, and with more social, political, and economic influence.”
Exactly