Catcalling Caught on Tape, Boyfriends React to Eye Opening Video

The Cosmopolitan.com video experiment shows men what it's like for women.

ByABC News
July 29, 2015, 1:00 PM

— -- Many women know what it’s like to be harassed as they walk down the street, but now a revealing video that’s trending on YouTube is giving some men a sense of what it’s really like, showing them what happens when their loved ones are the target.

Cosmopolitan.com decided to raise awareness by following three women on the streets of New York City, then film their boyfriend’s reaction to some of the crass and brazen catcalls.

“Whoa! Hey baby girl,” one catcaller caught on video says.

“Your hair, I really like it. What’s your name,” said another.

“That’s messed up,” said the boyfriend of one girls while watching how she was treated.

“I think that men are really surprised because they don’t face the same issue when they go to walk to the drug store or go run an errand,” Cosmopolitan.com editor, Amy O’Dell, told ABC News.

One of the women featured in the video is Tessa Hersh, an actress who lives in Brooklyn, New York.

“I get catcalled most days that I walk outside,” she explained. “I feel scared, and angry at them and angry that this is my experience being a woman in this society.”

Her boyfriend of one year is now further enlightened on the issue, but conflicted on how to handle it.

“There are plenty of men who know this is wrong and don’t want it to be done, but you don’t know what to do,” said Jonathan Braylock. “Do I say something? Does that put me in danger?”

Relationship expert, Paul Carrick Brunson, says that “any man or woman that sees someone being catcalled should intervene.”

“The most important thing we can do when it comes to catcalling or street harassment is to teach young boys never to disrespect any woman,” he added.

The viral video, which now has nearly 2.5 million views since July 27, hopes to clean up the conversation and put an end to street harassment for good.