When did you start your account?
The three of us started the account in May 2019.
Why were you inspired to start an account?
We met Sophie when we‘ve been in New York and she told us about her page @catcallsofnyc. Her personality and her amazing idea really inspired me to start such a page in Munich. I directly thought about Catcalls my friends and I heard in the past and wanted to raise awareness of this problem.
Why do you think “chalking back” is a good method to raise awareness?
When you usually think of chalk you think of childhood, fun and innocence. This is the reason many people who pass a Catcall we‘ve written down expect to read something fun or nice when they realize that it’s actually something very serious and start to realize that street harassment is a huge problem in our city. This difference between expectation and reality shocks people and stays in their minds.
Why do you think ending street harassment is important?
„Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions [...]”, this wise saying is very meaningful for understanding the importance of ending street harassment. Even though Catcalls themselves are something very disgusting and disrespectful, people who catcall have to stop before their words turn into even worse actions...
What’s your favorite thing about your city?
I really love Munich in the summer: everyone is outside enjoying the good weather at the river or in the English Garden, hanging out with friends or family and just being happy. And you ALWAYS randomly meet someone you know when you spend time outside.
How can your city better address street harassment?
Actually Munich was so great so far: the press really helped to draw attention to our page and was very supportive. Also some political organizations gave us very positive feedback and want to help us with future projects!
What do you hope is the outcome of your account?
First of all I hope that more people will realize that Catcalling is an actual problem and says a lot about our society. And also I really hope that our account makes the victims more confindent and gives them a feeling of having a community that stands behind them in such situations and understands their feelings.
What does being a part of this campaign mean to you?
Being part of this amazing campaign is very special for me. So many people worldwide are putting so much effort in their accounts, so many people are fighting for more respect, equality and sensibility in their home cities or countries and this really makes me believe that together we are creating a better and safer world!
