Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hey! My name is Pina. I’m 21 years old and I study Psychology at the University of
Buenos Aires. One of the things I enjoy the most is listening to live music in different
places of the city, mostly jazz or funk, and baking. I’ve been a feminist for a few years
now; at school I used to discuss different topics with my classmates and teachers. Ever
since the Ni Una Menos movement spruced in Argentina y became physically involved
in protests with my friends.
When did you start your account?
I became part of @catcallsofbsas in 2020 during the quarantine, helping my friends
with Instagram stories and posting content. Afterwards, we started going back to the
streets and chalking out testimonies.
Why were you inspired to start an account?
I was inspired by @catcallsofnyc (I think most of us were), and thought it was a really
good idea to bring this project into our city. Street harassment is something that I’ve
been living ever since I can remember. I believe it’s shameful that we, as a society,
have been putting aside and not addressing this subject. It’s important that we bring
our believes into actions so that other people can see us and join this fight that
benefits us all.
Why do you think “chalking back” is a good method to raise awareness?
Chalking back is a really good method because it illustrates the graveness of this subject
by literally writing it in the place it happened, it causes a visual impact while walking on
the street that doesn’t put anyone in danger. I believe it’s a creative way of telling the
world what we go through every day when we walk on the street.
Why do you think ending street harassment is important?
I believe that ending street harassment is important because that will allow us to walk
in the street without being scared of receiving an inappropriate catcall. In other way,
I’m sure that addressing this subject with the public will bring other ideas about the
patriarchal society, in which we live in, to discussion, which hopefully help to end
gender violence.
What’s your favorite thing about your city?
My favorite thing about Buenos Aires is the enormous possibilities of places to eat,
drink a beer, or have a coffee with friends, family or alone. Also, it has a lot of different
types of architecture and many museums to visit.
How can your city better address street harassment?
Although we already have a law against street harassment, it rarely has any use. I
believe my city could give out free courses for people interested in topics regarding
consent, sex education, privacy, etc.
What do you hope is the outcome of your account?
I hope that this account will help other people join our fight, and most of all realize
how we’ve been normalizing and minimizing street harassment in this society. I hope
other victims can find the strength to come forward so that they can have some
closure and in the meantime help us raise awareness on this topic.
What’s the most difficult street harassment situation you’ve experienced?
I don’t think it was the most difficult one, but surely the one that really shocked and
had me thinking. When I was walking home from class, a man in a truck that had
stopped at a red-light shout to me, when I look at him, he had a pre-written sign that
said, “Hermosa que sos” (“You’re so beautiful”) while he blew kisses at me. I was
completely disgusted by this, but on the other hand SHOCKED because ¡he had it
written on a piece of paper! That man decided that it was a good idea to 1 grab a piece
of paper, 2 grab a marker, 3 think of something to write, and lastly 4 wrote it down. I
couldn’t believe how it never crossed his mind how wrong it is to catcall someone.
What does being a part of this campaign mean to you?
Being able to be a part of chalk back and catcallsofbsas is a true privilege because it
allows me to make an impact on street harassment and gender violence, while also
providing me friends from all over the world that live the same things that I do. This
campaign makes it possible for me to be more active in the fight for feminism in my
city, and also worldwide.
