I AM NOT YOUR BABY
The first time I remember experiencing catcalling was when I was 12 years old. It was the time I could see physical changes in my body as the result of hitting puberty. I was made aware of these changes one day when I went for a run, something I normally could not put myself to, but that day I had the motivation to go. It was a sunny day, beautiful blue sky and the sun lit up the whole city. I put on my shorts and t-shirt, and for the first time, I actually had to wear a sports bra, deep down I felt proud. I started running, set my first few steps and not even a hundred meters from my house, a car full of twenty year old buys honked and screamed at me. I felt humiliated, ashamed and scared of the power they had over me, the fact that they could make me feel like that. I don’t remember what they said. But, the next time I ran, wasn’t for years after that.
This researched based project was done as a way of protest against the ongoing occurrences of catcalling in Rotterdam. I asked to photograph different people who have experienced street harassment and captured them on the spot where it happened. But this time they stood there with confindance before the camera, reclaiming the space.
