We're launching a new blog called This Is New York, where we get a little more conversational. We hope you like it.
NEW YORK CITY — Like daffodils that sprout through the snow at the first sign of spring, so does the winter thaw welcome back another rite of the season: catcalling.
Ladies who have shed heavy layers in the warm temperatures this week took to Twitter, welcoming in the spring weather while calling out men for the ramp up in street harassment.
I almost forgot - creepers come out of hibernation in the #spring. #streetharassment #nyc
— Rachel Piazza (@RachelAPiazza) March 9, 2015
Even the first catcall of spring feels good #spring #nyc
— Elizabeth Savage (@savageorganizer) March 12, 2015
You know it's spring when you get the first catcall since fall.
— birdflower (@brookekelty) March 9, 2015
There's not much research out there about street harassment, but studies suggest that about 65 percent of women experience it at some point in their lives.
"Harassers do, of course, work year round," wrote Hugo Schwyzer, an author who focuses on gender equality, in an essay about street harassment for Jezebel. "But at the same time, most of us recognize the harassment seems to get much worse when warm weather hits and women's fashions become more revealing."
Last fall, legions of commenters came out for and against the infamous street harassment video that recorded a woman's experience of getting cat-called over 10 hours of walking New York City streets.
Could this season's predicted pollen vortex will keep the creeps at bay? Not likely, but we can hope.
Have you already witnessed street harassment this season? Tell us in the comments.
