White van men

Worthless, Vulgar Misogyny

The concept of ‘catcalling’ has become almost normalised in today’s society, it’s something that has been so ingrained into the everyday lives of women that we are almost immune to it – but what is it that induces men to beep their horns at us? What is the psychology behind it? Although I will never understand how men’s brains are hardwired, (nor do I want to for that matter), I can attempt to speculate the motivation behind this seemingly futile and belittling action, and how it actually strokes their fragile egos.

Sexualisation of Cats

The neologism ‘catcalling’ is misogynistic in itself. Firstly, it dehumanises women as felines, and secondly, it suggests that ‘cats’ are somehow sexually desirable (which goes against all sane principles of humanity). However, if you think about it, cats are actually widely sexualised. For instance, why is it that stores sell ‘sexy cat Halloween costumes?’ Surely it is strange to consider dressing up as a particular animal ‘sexy’? And why a cat? Why not a horse or a monkey? I suppose it is possible to costume as a ‘sexy’ horse or monkey – but no one really does. So, what is it about cats that made them become so sexually linked to and gendered as women? Is it the delicate way in which they tip-toe around, almost emulative of a ballerina? Or is it the flexibility of their slim, almost hourglass bodies? But then again, have you ever considered a woman’s movement or body to be cat-like? Have you ever seen a woman and thought ‘wow, she really reminds me of a feline?’ I know I haven’t. Personally, I think I move more like an elephant than a cat – and that’s okay – the way we walk and hold ourselves should not be standardised to the way in which a cat does, and a cat’s physical figure should certainly not be the new ideal body type.

With that said, there may be a historical explanation as to why cats are associated with femininity. Bastet is the Egyptian goddess, a feline deity of domesticity, women’s secrets, fertility and cats, and interestingly enough, she happens to have the head of a cat and the body of a woman. At a stretch perhaps, the fact this powerful and divine human hybrid links cats to women can be regarded as a compliment. Initially, she was depicted as a lioness, but later portrayals of her in art denote her to have the face of a cat. Perhaps her wild power and the fact she was so widely venerated were simply too much for the patriarchy to handle, and so they softened her image. Take this as a compliment ladies! Next time you get ‘cat-called’, think of it as men being so intimidated by the power you hold that they feel the need to assert it back.

The Significance of a Car Horn

Although derogatory and downright degrading, and as much as it pains me to say, I somewhat understand the objective of ‘catcalling’, however, men, (from my experience, typically in white vans), performing the simple act of beeping their horns at girls walking down the street, absolutely fails to stretch the limits of my comprehension.

I don’t understand what the motivation is. They’re driving 30mph, you’re walking thirty times slower than the speed on the other side of the street… do they expect you to zoom across the road and jump through their window in a lustful rage? Is the jolting sound of the honk supposed to ignite a venereal flame within you that you never knew you had before, causing you to fall in love on the spot?

What it ultimately narrows down to is their ego. This breed of men who are not quite bold enough to roll their windows down and actually shout something vulgar, allows the horn of whatever vehicle they are driving to do it for them. If they can get your attention for a split second, then in their tiny little brains, they’ve achieved attention from a female, regardless of the actuality of how they achieved it. Are they aware that you are tremendously out of their league and would never go for them? Yes. Is this why they would rather objectify and degrade you than attempt to obtain you in a respectable and humble way out of fear of rejection? Yes. Does this mean that their egos are more valuable to them than human decency? Also, yes. See a pattern? Their egos are the culprit of their misogyny, and they’ll never allow their egos to be bruised when they can just get a woman’s attention in another way. Men really should just marry their egos.

The Curse of the White Van

In no way am I discriminating other types of vehicles, I consider myself a strong advocate of vehicle prejudice and injustice. Thus, this non-verbal act of catcalling is certainly not exclusive to men in white vans. In fact, men perform this act in all types of vehicles, ranging from cars to bikes, could I even go as far as to say buses? Regardless of the vehicle, it’s upsetting and shameful that men can utterly ruin a woman’s day and make her fear leaving the house alone through this act and forget about it as if it meant nothing. To them, it is a mere beep of the horn, but to the woman it is directed at, it means so much more.

Let’s analyse the white van itself. White is the colour of purity, innocence, and protection; it’s the colour of the light you reach for in your last moments, the colour angels are biblically dressed in, the colour of the flag indicative of peace. However, white is also the colour of anonymity. The men in white vans know they’ll never see you again, they shield their identity behind the rapidity of the speed limit and of course, the generic and inconspicuous colour of the van they are driving. By masking their identity, they gain the confidence to utilise their vehicle to objectify you, a random passer-by, who they for some reason, desire the attention of to inflate their fragile egos. They probably have wives and kids waiting for them at home, but they know the act of beeping their horn is small enough and insignificant enough to get away with. No one will ever know, or even care. By the time you look up to see who has beeped at you, all you see is the blur of whiteness that follows the indecency of the man behind the act.

And how can we rectify this issue? Make beeping illegal? The only way this can be stopped is if society stops perpetuating the idea that women are objects, if we stop allowing catcalling to be normalised, and if we stop allowing men to get away with it.

• feminist
• misogyny