Woman Shames Cat-Caller in Viral Facebook Post
Christen Brandt shared an incident of harassment on Jan. 28.
— -- A New York woman's Facebook post firing back at a cat-caller is going viral.
Christen Brandt, 27, of Brooklyn, said that on the morning of Jan. 28, she was followed by a man through the New York's 34th Street subway station, and the man commented on her body as he followed her.
"Like most women, the episodes [of harassment] differ in the level of intimidation and severity, but the common thread is that often, women who share their experiences of harassment are told, 'You shouldn't have dressed that way, been there, said that, [or] done that,'" Brandt told ABC News in an email when asked about the incident that inspired the Facebook post. "In this case, I couldn't have been dressed more conservatively. I was walking confidently. We were in a well-lit, highly-trafficked area during morning rush hour. I didn't do anything that could be construed as 'wrong' or 'asking for it,' and I still got followed."
That same day, Brandt said she described the incident on her Facebook page along with a photo of what she was wearing during the encounter.
"This is what I was wearing this morning as I made my way through a crowded 34th Street subway station, and a man passing by me said, 'Damn, you have some great legs,'" Brandt wrote in her post. "When I ignored him and kept walking, he turned around to follow me, to get closer, even as I was moving away. 'Did you hear me, honey? I said you have nice legs. Damn! Thank you.'"
"It was the 'thank you' that got me," she continued. "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. 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. I am in a f****** parka and boots. And it. doesn't. matter..."
Brandt's post received over 130,000 likes and over 70,000-plus shares.
Brandt said while she received some negative comments for her reaction, women from all over the world have been messaging her and sharing their own experience of sexual harassment.
"[W]hile it's important that my story and thoughts are out there, it's so much more impactful every time someone else shares her own story, her own words, along with it," Brandt told ABC News in her email. "If the men in our lives realize that this isn't just something that happens to *other* women, they'll be more likely to take a stand against it."
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