Amanda Holden is wrong – wolf whistling should be banned in our sexist society

Vikki White argues the gesture is sexual harassment as she calls for women and girls to be better protected on our streets

Amanda Holden

A harmless compliment or sexual harassment?

Wolf whistling divides opinion and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden knows which side of the fence she's on.

"I still want to get wolf whistles in my 70s and I don’t care how sexist that is," the 51-year-old star told a women's mag this week.

"I want a builder to give me a little 'oi, oi' when I walk past. I want to be tooted at by men or women when I’m walking the dog!"

But from whistles to comments to beeps of a car horn these gestures, mostly aimed at women, are no laughing matter in our misogynistic society.

Two thirds of girls have received unwanted attention in public says Our Streets Now, the youth-led organisation which is campaigning for cultural and legislative change. A third of girls experience verbal harassment at least once a month.

Wolf whistle

Image:

( Getty)

I believe catcalling of any kind contributes to women and girls not feeling safe on our streets. Ignoring unwanted attention, as many of us know, can lead to escalating, aggressive behaviour.

Thankfully, women are fighting back.

Campaigner Farah Benis runs the CatCalls of London Instagram page, which aims to raise awareness and bring about change.

Among the tens of thousands of stories received by the site are a woman who was told on the street: "You look like my mum, but I still would" and another who was asked: "What? You think you're too good for me?"

"When we stop accepting things as the norm and start to challenge them it wakes people up," Farah told the BBC. " Especially people who are not affected by these issues, to the impact they have on us - our mental health, our wellbeing, the constant worry about our personal safety.

"These are all things that so many men don't realise we experience."

Last month, an independent advisor warned plans to make public sexual harassment a crime were being blocked at the top of government, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused of being "stuck in the past".

The fight goes on and I believe all women should argue for a fairer society for their daughters, for their granddaughters, for themselves.

Banning wolf whistling might seem inconsequential but delve a little deeper and the reason to end the practice becomes all too clear.

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