We asked the women and girls of the BuzzFeed Community to share their cringiest stories about being catcalled. Here are 21 of those stories from people who bravely opened up about their experiences.
1.
I was walking down the street and bent over to tie my shoe. At the same time a car was passing by very slowly. When I stood back up, a guy from the car shouted, “Really liked it better when you you were bent over, sweetheart!” I was 14.
2.
When I was about 16, I stopped at a red light with my windows down. These two older guys pulled up next to me, and I saw them begin to roll their window down too. I can’t remember what they said, but it was pretty typical. I was a shy kid, so I ignored them instead of getting angry. I guess to get back at me, they decided to follow me for the next 10 or 15 miles. I made sharp turns into several neighborhoods because I thought maybe I was being paranoid. But nope. Their feelings got hurt, so they decided to terrify a much younger girl.
3.
I was sitting on the subway with my headphones on, and this guy, who looked like he was in his seventies, sat next to me and said something. I didn't hear him at first, but I assumed has was asking for directions or something. When he repeated himself, he said, "I'm a very nice guy. I have a very large dick. So can I get an email?" It was sickening.
4.
While walking to CVS one morning, some guy in a parking lot yelled out, "Looking for some dick?" I was so embarrassed and disgusted that I didn't react at all and ran home. I just went to the store later.
5.
One time I was at the grocery store checking grapefruit to see if they were ripe —basically lightly squeezing them for firmness. A man came up to me and asked me what else my hands could squeeze. I was pretty pissed, and I told him my hands would fit perfectly around his neck.
6.
When I was 18, I went to a restaurant late one night with a group of friends. A man slid into the booth next to me and said I was “sexy,” asked what sounds I made in bed, and said he would love to make me scream.
7.
During my first week in college, my new roommates and I were walking by a frat house when a guy stumbled out and yelled at us, “Who wants to get pregnant?!”
8.
I was leaving Target, and two dudes were talking about a mop they had just bought. I happened to be walking in the same direction and upon noticing me, one said, “I’d like to mop you up, baby.”
9.
I was taking my driver's license test, and the cop who was administering the test told me the temperature suddenly got hotter the minute I got into the car. He later told me that I was a bad driver and gave me his number so he could personally teach me himself. I was 18 and the cop was around 50. I was petrified.
10.
I had just walked in to a fast-food restaurant to place my order. A guy seated inside saw me and kept staring at me, so I made the mistake of looking at him like, "WTF?" He smiled and said, "I love big bitches." I left and went somewhere else.
11.
I was walking down the street with my friend, and a car drove past us. The guy on the passenger side leaned out the window and said, “Girrrrrl!!!! If you let me in, I’d OWN that puss!” Word for word. It was horrifying. I’ll never forget it.
12.
I was about 15 and was walking home from my friend's house. Two guys, who were a little older, drove up to me and said, “Wow, you’re really pretty.” I ignored them and kept walking. They slowed down to stay next to me as I walked down the block, still trying to hit on me. I walked faster and continued to ignore them. Finally, the driver said, "Give me a smile, and I’ll leave you alone." So, I turned to him and smiled and he drove off. I ran the rest of the way home, afraid I'd have to see them again.
13.
In high school I used to wear skirts and dresses every day. I’d CONSTANTLY have guys stop at the bottom of the stairs while I was walking up just so they could see up my skirt. One time I bent down to drink from the water fountain, and a guy came up behind me and tugged at my skirt and said, “Bend over next time so we can see that ass.” Ughhhhh.
14.
One time I was at a bar, and this guy literally grabbed me as I was coming out of the bathroom and told me, "I'd love to eat you out sometime." Such a charmer.
15.
Once I was at a Walmart with my two kids, and while I was looking at bananas one of the workers came up behind me and said, “You like the big bananas, huh?” I wish I would’ve told a manager, but I was so grossed out I didn’t even know what to do.
16.
When I was 19 I had my first internship. One day I was minding my own business at my desk. I had a cute top on with some decorative ties, and I noticed one had come undone. As I retied it, I saw some male coworkers ogling me. One said, “Shouldn’t it be going the other way?” I responded with, “Don’t you have a daughter my age?” and a dirty look. That made them all scurry away. I should have gone to HR, but I didn’t know any better.
17.
While moving into my freshman dorm in college, the boys living in the apartments held up signs that said, "She calls you daddy now. She'll be calling me daddy later," directed at the dads dropping their daughters off.
18.
I was at my office building, and I had gotten up to get lunch when a man tried to catcall me. I ignored him and kept walking so he yelled, "I wanna drink milk outta your titties," all the way down the block until I disappeared around the corner. No one did anything.
19.
I used to work at a place that was about four or five blocks from my apartment, so I would frequently walk to/from work. It was a decent neighborhood right by a college, so I felt comfortable doing so. One day after a particularly rough shift I was walking home. It was midday and warm out, so I was wearing a cami with my jacket tied around my waist and big sunglasses. About halfway home, I heard a vehicle slow down behind me and suddenly rev its engine. I turned to see a Jeep full of boys yelling out the windows while waving money. They screamed, “Ayyy girl! Ooo! How much??!” and laughed as they sped up. I put my head down and walked faster. They circled around the block and pulled up to me again and yelled, “Ay, girl, we asked how much!” They were practically cackling at this point and then finally sped off for good. I was a mess when I got home, and when I told my then-boyfriend what had happened, he just sorta laughed and said, “Well, you are cute, baby. Maybe don’t walk home anymore.”
20.
I was about 16 and was picking up a friend from her house. While we were walking to my car, these three men in a lawn and garden company truck drove by us and shouted, "Do your bushes need to be trimmed?" and "Can I have the key to your secret garden?" It was so creepy.
21.
At a job interview, my almost-boss told me about clothing rules and said that everything is fine as long as it isn't too revealing. He then stared at my chest and said that he could make an exception for me. I was 18 at the time.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.