New York men explain why they catcall

An interview with New Yorkers about why men harass women on the street took an ironic twist after one of the female subjects was manhandled by a passerby.

The unwelcome run-in was captured by filmmakers as they asked the young woman about her experiences with sexual harassment on the street, in the wake of a recent viral video that showed an actress being catcalled 108 times over 10 hours.

Visibly uncomfortable after being grabbed held close by the man, the woman laughed, "I don't think that's the way to do it."

But it was not just women who contributed to the conversation, with a number of men citing women's attractive clothing as a reason to single them out.

"If a girl comes out in tight leggings, and you can see something back there … I'm saying something," one teenage boy said.

Other reasons to harass women included appearing macho within a group of friends, to exercise one's right to free speech and to express attraction.

"If you have a beautiful body, why can't I say something?" one man remarked, as he demonstrated his sucking-sound catcall of choice.

However, that was lost on many of the women interviewed, who say they feel uncomfortable when being catcalled and powerless to make it stop.

Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Simon Black
Source: Daily Motion/ Gothamist