Call It By Its Name

Trigger Warning: Mention of Sexual Harassment 

Do you have questions you don't want answers to? 

I often wonder if women who have not been victims of sexual objectification exist in our society. Then I stop my train of thought because, deep down, I don't want the answer to be a "no." But sadly, that's utopian and far from reality. In our world, women are objects without sexual boundaries. As a result, sexual harassment and assault have become plaguing issues, and unfortunately, most women experience it in one form or another. It might be within the walls of a home, a workplace, or even a public space like a street; it is omnipresent. 

I was sexually harassed for the first time at a local sweet shop. I was traumatized (still am) and upon sharing my experience I realized that a lot of women had similar experiences to share. The widespread nature of this horrible crime is so obvious. But I wondered why did I use terms like "inappropriately touching" and "cat-calling" instead of sexual harassment while referring to it. Why was I using euphemistic language to talk about my experience? 

Are we all afraid to call it by its name? 

Let's address a popular euphemism we are all guilty of using, cat-calling. Cat-calling, in its most literal definition, refers to a sound like a whistle or a squeak. I do see how the term is simple and appears to be "lighter," but that's where the issue lies. In the present-day world, it is used in place of street sexual harassment, a crime so normalized that it is treated as inevitable. This single word encompasses perpetrators begging one to smile or even acts like stalking and following. Is this term accurate in describing these violations faced by victims of this crime? 

No, it isn't. 

Terms like these minimize the gravity of the crime, which is extremely dangerous as they are rarely isolated incidents. It downplays the severity of it. They invalidate the trauma experienced by victims and may even lead to them questioning whether their experience was even "sexual harassment". This questioning directly affects reporting the crime and as we know these crimes are already hard to report. All in all, using such terms is disastrous.

But what's the big deal about the words we use? Our choice of words, in fact, language as a whole plays a very important part in determining our attitude towards things. It can easily depict your unconditional love for coffee or even your hesitation in addressing important social issues like this one. 

This Sexual Assault Awareness Month ensure to use accurate words while addressing sexual violence. But also remember, your choice of words is not the only source for affirmative action. It's just ONE of them.