Why the Most Inoffensive Outfit Prompted a Really Offensive Response
Christen Brandt in the outfit she was wearing when a man catcalled her. Photo: Facebook
When temperatures dip below 30 degrees and there’s snow on the ground, most women tend to wear a standard outfit consisting of boots, leggings or jeans, parkas, scarves, and hats. This uniform, assembled in order to cover up as much skin as possible and for maximum warmth, is basically the opposite of sexy and erases most signs of femininity: curves disappear underneath down and layers, faces become recognizable only by one’s eyes, and high heels get pushed to the back of the closet until slippage risk reduces to 0 percent. So when Christen Brandt threw on this go-to look, the last thing she expected was to be catcalled.
Standing on a crowded platform at the 34th street subway station in New York City, a man passing by the young woman said, "Damn, you have some great legs.“ Brandt ignored him and walked away, but then he began following her. "Did you hear me, honey? I said you have nice legs. Damn! Thank you,” he yelled at her again as she was quickly moving away.
“It was the “thank you” that got me,” she wrote in a post on Facebook alongside a photo of the outfit she was wearing at the time — a green parka with a fur-trimmed hood, knee-high cognac-colored boots, brown tights, and a tan scarf. “As if my 5 inches of legging-covered skin were there for him. Given as a gift wrapped in brown tights. Existing in the world for him to appreciate, or not.”
The outfit Brandt was wearing should not have provoked the male gaze — but it did anyways. Her dress’s hemline was not too short (in fact, it was hidden underneath a puffy jacket), her shoes weren’t too high, her tights covered her crotch, her skin wasn’t overexposed, her midriff was covered. All of these aforementioned “offenses” are what have resulted in women and girls getting sent to principal’s offices, being kicked out of the prom, taking to the Internet to air their grievances regarding a derogatory comment or inappropriate advance, or hiding in shame from embarrassment.
Yet it’s never been more clear that it’s not the clothes that are the issue, it’s just the biological fact of being born a woman that incites attention. “Next time you wonder whether your skirt is too short, next time you ask your teen daughter to change her clothes, or the next time you hear about school dress codes in the news, remember this photo,” Brandt said. “I am in a f***ing parka and boots. And it. doesn’t. matter.”
Since Brandt shared the image, it’s received nearly 74,000 likes and more than 35,000 shares. In the comments section, many relayed similar stories — many noting that they stepped out without makeup, unbathed, and in baggy clothes — and shared their frustrations. “Sigh. Been there girl. You’re a better person for just ignoring him. Engaging ignorance in conversation is a loss for everyone,” Ashly Priest said. Jamil Eric Wilkins, a man, said, “I’m sick of it too. Something is seriously wrong with the men in this country.”
But it also prompted conversation from the opposite sex offering a counterpoint. “Sounds like he was trying to give you a compliment. Just thank him and be on your way,” Steven Engels wrote. “Some women wouldn’t be so lucky. Consider yourself fortunate to be desirable.”
But Brandt has a message for doubters: “All women have these moments. All of us. And yet the world acts as if it’s still our problem to fix. Get your s*** together, guys,” she wrote. “I, for one, am sick of dealing with it.”
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