Sleazy, immature, objectifying, sexist, confidence boosting a "typically two-note whistle made as an often unsolicited expression of sexual attention" (answers.com). These are all terms the world of google search can throw at you when trawling through the mass number of pages I researched for this little blog article.
So I've started to wonder if a simple wolf whistle objectifies the female body into a piece of meat? Or does the act of a strange man giving a women a whistle, make her feel sexy and give a confidence boost?
I don't know how I came to thinking about writing a blog about it, yet I spent most of the day catching the passing glance of male drivers on the way to my interview. There was nothing overtly different in the way I was being. Okay I was looking "smart" but not overtly sexy. (not in my eyes anyway). Walking with confidence yes but that was mainly due to wearing my gorgeous red shoes. I'll be honest I've only being wolf whistled a few times in my life - most often when I was wearing something a little skimpy, or short.
To me when in the infrequent times it has occurred it makes me feel weird, like its more of them taking the piss out of me rather then its because I'm "sexy".
Firstly when I started to think about this, I always viewed it on the side of a woman. How does it make her feel when a random stranger wolf whistles at her while she's happily walking along a street during a summers day? Does it objectify her into a sexual being? Is it belittling? Or is it just something to, and can be easily ignored? Plus its made me wonder what women working within the construction industry actually think about this. Would they feel the need, or the empowerment able to wolf whistle at a guy.
But what about the men that actually undertake the act? Does it make them less of a gentleman and merely immature for doing so when they nudge and wink at their fellow workers only to result in yet more eyes skirting over the female body. Yes they are probably high up on scaffolding but what has happened to the art of actually talking to a women if you like her or just saying a hello rather then a whistle? Is it now assumed that to wolf whistle you'll get the girl and something that men are just naturally tuned to do when they see a sexy women?
Nevertheless, they are stating that the "art" if you want to call it that is dying due to the social upheaval created by the credit crisis, or newspaper the Daily Express would like to claim. Call it what you will but its definitely not an art.
So I've started to wonder if a simple wolf whistle objectifies the female body into a piece of meat? Or does the act of a strange man giving a women a whistle, make her feel sexy and give a confidence boost?
I don't know how I came to thinking about writing a blog about it, yet I spent most of the day catching the passing glance of male drivers on the way to my interview. There was nothing overtly different in the way I was being. Okay I was looking "smart" but not overtly sexy. (not in my eyes anyway). Walking with confidence yes but that was mainly due to wearing my gorgeous red shoes. I'll be honest I've only being wolf whistled a few times in my life - most often when I was wearing something a little skimpy, or short.
To me when in the infrequent times it has occurred it makes me feel weird, like its more of them taking the piss out of me rather then its because I'm "sexy".
Firstly when I started to think about this, I always viewed it on the side of a woman. How does it make her feel when a random stranger wolf whistles at her while she's happily walking along a street during a summers day? Does it objectify her into a sexual being? Is it belittling? Or is it just something to, and can be easily ignored? Plus its made me wonder what women working within the construction industry actually think about this. Would they feel the need, or the empowerment able to wolf whistle at a guy.
But what about the men that actually undertake the act? Does it make them less of a gentleman and merely immature for doing so when they nudge and wink at their fellow workers only to result in yet more eyes skirting over the female body. Yes they are probably high up on scaffolding but what has happened to the art of actually talking to a women if you like her or just saying a hello rather then a whistle? Is it now assumed that to wolf whistle you'll get the girl and something that men are just naturally tuned to do when they see a sexy women?
Nevertheless, they are stating that the "art" if you want to call it that is dying due to the social upheaval created by the credit crisis, or newspaper the Daily Express would like to claim. Call it what you will but its definitely not an art.
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ReplyDeleteLove this post, very thought provoking. Personally I don't mind it; I don't take it at all seriously but it does make me feel a little bit good inside... says the feminist...