Mom's Night Out

Last night I went out with my good friend who is a busy single mother. She rarely gets to go out anymore since she owns her own business & chases after a 2-year-old. We were heading to an event and about to leave the subway station when a man jumped in front of us, passionately expressing how good we looked. We ignored and walked around him but he put his arms out in an attempt to blockade us. It was a pitiful attempt because we just walked around him with our heads down. We made it to the turnstiles without any physical contact with the man but he seemed to behave as though OUR behavior was inappropriate! Yelling, "Hey! What I just told you you're beautiful and you're just going to walk away!? What the..."

I actually felt really bad because it was hard enough to get my friend out of the house that night. Some men are senseless! Later at this party which was filled with fashion, media & finance types, my friend was accosted in a somewhat more acceptable way though it was equally annoying. I don't care whether the guy is wearing a suit or rags - show some respect to the moms of the world - all of us for that matter!

Questions

Last night, after leaving a photo shoot location in the Meatpacking district, I found the neighborhood to be hopping with party-goers. There was a man dancing outside a restaurant who smiled and said, "You have dimples, right?" Less than 15 seconds after that, I got straight up ogled by another guy who asked, "How'd you get a body like a Maserati?"

I didn't answer either of these men because I felt as though the questioning might not end there. I will tell you though: I DO have dimples but as much as I wish I had a body like a Maserati, I fail to have 12 cylinders. Maybe he was confused because I have "excellence through passion and extraordinarily efficient form that absolutely exudes power and personality".

Easy mistake.

Hello Old Friends

I know I haven't been keeping up with my bloggerly duties but I frankly haven't had the time, patience to sit at my computer or the desire to relive what has been a constant stream of obnoxious yet boring comments from complete strangers.

While the comments have been pretty cliche lately I am astounded by the constant hounding that has been going on. I mean its a whistle here, a "hey baby" there but in the end they add up to a whole lot of grossness. I wonder if it was the NYC heat wave that caused people to act like total retard-horndogs.

There were a few cat calls that did stand out in my mind. Two were from gay men so I don't know if this really counts but I'll go ahead anyways:

Walking down East 7th Street, three men walked by and one looked at me and simply said "Mary". This "Mary" was so stretched out that I think there were about five extra syllables in it. Later that week while riding my bike on Broadway, a car pulled ahead of me and out the window I heard something to the extent of, "Oh Honey, check out that pussy!" I was so shocked I actually said out loud, "That's the second gay cat call I've gotten this week!" I'm not sure if he heard me but whatever... I was so confused.

On another note, there's a new falafel joint that opened up on 7th Street and I get the impression that the owner thinks he will get more business by standing outside and telling the women how beautiful they are. When I had an interaction with him he only politely asked me to come back later when I am hungry. I am still considering it but I fear I will be ogled by the rest of the employees when I accidentally drip hummus out of my mouth.

Not again!

Today I was in Tompkins Square Park again and a different man walked by me as I was sitting on a bench and said, "You have beautiful toes!" He then came over and said, "Do you realize how beautiful your toes are?" He sat down next to me and again told me how wonderful they were. I had been reading a magazine which I slowly put away in my purse. He must have anticipated me leaving because he then said in such a sincere way, "Oh, no - you don't have to go! They're really beautiful." To which I replied, "Thank you," and quickly walked away.

I think I might be spending the rest of summer wearing boots.

Tompkins Square Park

It was nice out today so I was wearing flip flops. A man noticed and said, "I like your toes... Can I suck them?" Then after I ignored him and passed by I faintly heard him say, "Can I?"

East 7th Street & Avenue A

I walked by Niagara on my way home from dinner last night and prepared myself to either ignore the usual beggars or meekly apologize for my lack of change. But no one asked me for money. What I got was this:

"I'm ready to bang you all night, mama." And as I quickly walked away I heard, "No, come on, I'll bang ya!"

I think we can all appreciate the fact that this homeless man was offering a service as opposed to just seeking a handout. If only more people were this resourceful.

Getting Used to It

I don't know which is worse: being so acutely aware of every cat call that you receive or being able to ignore it.

Of course, over the years, I've learned to let them slide for the most part, reserving my vocalizations for the most interesting and offensive cat calls. Since starting this Cat Call Appall project, I've become much more aware of these acts again and usually don't let them slide as easily. I know mom always used to say ignore them and they'll go way but, much like flies, they just seem to multiply.

Seeing as I probably got my first cat call when I was 13 or so, I've been getting cat called for well over a decade now. Mom usually has great advice but ignoring the problem just doesn't seem to do the trick.

Last night on St. Mark's an SUV drove by and the passenger rolled down his window so he could make kissing noises at me. I responded with a very dry, "Yeah, yeah" in a way that DeNiro's blonde wife from the Bronx in "Raging Bull" might have said it. As I crossed the street I gave the car the finger. They probably didn't even see me do it but it was somewhat satisfying to at least respond to their oversized vehicle.