Here at Ravishly, we like to think that men aren't a bunch of slavering, sexual-harassing Neanderthals lumbering around with half-mast erections and a filthy mouth. In fact, there are some men we even call our friends, lovers, husbands, brothers and fathers; they're kind, smart, generous and dare-we-say gentlemanly!
And then there are the slavering, sexual-harassing Neanderthals lumbering around with half-mast erections and a filthy mouth. Like the mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, who recently announced that not only was cat-calling—called a piropo—A-OK, but the women who said they didn't like it are lying!
Women who say they don’t like it, and are offended by it, I don’t believe it. There is nothing nicer than a piropo, even if it’s accompanied by something offensive, if someone says ‘nice culo’ it’s all good. — Macri on the “FM Masters” radio show
Oh, and for those of you wondering what exactly a culo is . . . it's an ass. Macri you are so right. There is nothing nicer than a strange man taking it upon himself to degrade me in a public forum as I try to make my way to work. In fact, I wish it happened more often. It's like, the best.
While Macri's comment is both delusional and offensive, it does perfectly illustrate how deeply rooted misogyny is in Latin America; here's a mayor of a major metropolis more-than-casually dismissing blatant sexual harassment. The fact that he felt so flippant about it—not even considering that it might be a PR nightmare—only goes to show just how culturally saturated he is. In fact, there are entire websites dedicated to the very best piropos so Argentinean men can make sure to shame women in style.
Stranger still, Macri's comments came hot on the heels of a public initiative by local NGO, Accion Respeto, to call attention to sexual street abuse; it posted signs all over Buenos Aires with common cat-calls including:
“Come here brunette, we want to rape you” and “You look like a little whore my love."
Doesn't it just warm the cockles of your heart? Shockingly, most of the women in Buenos Aires do not share Macri's sentiments; in fact, a recent poll conducted by Universidad Abierta Interamericana (UAI) found that most women prefer not to be cat-called. Imagine that! 70% of all women polled said they've been publicly harassed but chose "to do nothing," 56% said they'll cross the street if they see a group of men, and 42% polled said they are afraid to even walk alone in public.
We'll leave you with a shoddy translation of a chilling tale by a Buenos Aires woman:
Just going back to my home, very tired, dressed like any girl, at the door of a factory about 20 primates, because they were not men, they were apes, started clapping. I tried to go fast and looking down (as if I did something ... bad as a woman) but to no avail, they would not let me go and told me everything until you [want to cry] and told them that they were rude, 'it could be your daughter, your sister.' Then they start to say, "Oh, the view of that babe is rebellious ... I start to go, shaking, tears in the eyes of impotence; I saw a police car, told him the situation and he said, "What? They're men. You're cute." I'm sick of people. I hate sexism. I hate to go back home almost crying by garbage like this and take it as normal. — Noe Fobofilia, Facebook
I mean, come on! Can we get some education up in there?!
