When I walk down the street to the corner store by my house, I don’t necessarily think to myself, “Wow, I sure do hope a man will yell a compliment at me from 20 feet away.” Thankfully though, every once in awhile, a man takes it upon himself to whistle at me, or shout something along the lines or, “Aye girl, what are you doing later?”

When I hear those words spew out of a grown man’s mouth, I can’t help but swoon. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be harassed and objectified when they’re walking to the store?

I first got “catcalled” last year during the summer; I was 15 at the time and it was extremely hot outside. I had on shorts and a yellow tank top, which in hindsight showed too much shoulder and was most likely the cause of the man’s comment. I was walking out of a Taco Bell, and tall man cut me off from walking to my car. I apologized for being in his way, and continued on.

That’s when I heard him call me something the lines of “yellow shirt” and he then proceeded to ask me where I was going, and that I should go over to his house. He complimented me after that, and my ego was soaring. I couldn’t believe it. Not only did a total stranger compliment me, but he even asked me to come over his house!

Of course there’s an obvious line between compliments and just being straight nasty. Saying “You’re beautiful” is quite different from telling me “Your butt looks great.”

That incident was the first, but not last, time that I had been catcalled. Ever since then my ego grew so big I can hardly fit through a door. I’ve also learned a few things too: some men don’t care what you’re wearing, they’ll catcall you even if you’re wearing sweats and a sweater. Also, no matter how much I try and avoid these charming chivalrous men, they still manage to find a way to catcall me from across a street, parking lot, or wherever I may be at the time.

Catcalling isn’t all that bad. Being treated like a piece of meat feels great, and I love the feeling of being scared while walking down the street. Girls, we need to learn to appreciate these compliments. After all, being validated by men is what we live for, right?