Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 43-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Street harassment may be a barometer of tension and anger, but not between men and women per se. Regardless of how men defend their unwanted intrusions, catcalling is a form of bullying. When confronted, these men tend to blame the woman. It’s what she’s wearing or her body type or the old chestnut that they’re just giving compliments that women take the wrong way. In reality, they know it’s 100 percent unwanted attention paired with knowing they can 100 percent get away with it. Therein lies the rush of power and freedom they otherwise can’t attain.
What women know is that street harassment is a power trip for men who lack agency in their own lives. And so, compelled as we are to engage with empathy, pity wells up for these poor fellows whose lives are hopeless to the point of needing to pick on women passing in the street because that’s male/female culture here and around the world. Women will generally take abuse rather than risk being killed on the spot.
“Smile Baby” from Calico Kills The Cat (K, 1988) (download):
