We recently read a study that offered the idea that beautiful women get asked out less by men than average looking women, but get harassed more.
flowers doesn’t make it any better
True or not, the idea comes from the assumption that the catcallers of the world feel safe catcalling because they don’t really expect a response. Whether flattered or full on harassed by a catcall, a lot of women just keep on walking.
Photographer Hannah Price of had a more interactive idea for the men of Philadelphia. She decided to take pictures of her catcallers. The student noticed an increase in catcalling after she moved to the city and decided she wanted to document it in some way. She started carrying her camera around and would sometimes take candid photos of the men, and sometimes she would ask them to pose for a portrait right on the street corner or in the window they hollered from.
The result is a photo series entitled “City of Brotherly Love” which is intended to be an observation, not a public shaming. However Price’s assertive behavior in a moment where many women experience vulnerability, certainly flips the table, and provides a platform to render the men a bit powerless when she catches them off guard, if only for a moment.
Her experience of their reactions for the most part, was that they were glad to be talked to. She didn’t approach anyone who she felt might be unsafe, and the privacy was respected of anyone who said no to a photo.
The photos are all composed differently, almost offering each individual a chance to keep their individuality within the series despite any similarities found in their leering.
As told to an NPR interviewer Price says about the project:
“I’m not trying to stop catcalling. I think it’s a given thing, especially for an urban community…it’s more just an experience I had, and a way for me to deal with it. I ended up making a relationship; I ended up taking time to spend time with people who threw me off guard and ended up making something beautiful out of it.”
