Over the last century women have been victims of men’s heinous remarks.

For a
while women were either deceived into accepting these remarks as compliments or
simply ignoring them. Today the women of the world are vocal and with the
increased level of technology are being more boisterous about situations that affect
them.

Women are frustrated and annoyed of being a sex symbol in this patriarchal society
and thus Witness Project International has voiced the concerns of all women around
the world. In the poster being studied, a woman is seen covering her ears. This action
is a form of non-verbal communication. By her body language alone we can grasp
the fact that she is not pleased by what is being said to her. Clearly a message is
being sent out by this woman. Now what is this message?

It’s not a compliment. It’s street harassment. Clearly the woman and the receiver of
this message have a difference of opinion. The poster shows some of the words that
Guyanese men would throw loosely at women on the streets. While it may be
flattering to hear compliments from men once in a while, women cringe at lustful
remarks such as ‘Watch da back’ or ‘smile fuh meh nuh’. The non – verbal gesture
of the woman putting her hands to her ears tells the receiver of the message that the
lustful remarks are not appreciated. They are not compliments but rather street
harassment. Harassment is such a strong word in the English language and thus the
use of the word is a deliberate attempt by women to discourage the receivers of the
message from their actions of verbal abuse. The women are targeting that pre-
conceived thought in the receiver’s mind that they are actually flattering or
complimenting a female when they make certain perverted remarks. Clearly these
women have self- respect and are pleading with the receiver to respect them also.
The notorious receivers are men from all walks of life who are guilty sometimes or
all the time of making perverted remarks about a woman’s physical appearance.
Basically, the women are pleading with the men to control their hormones. Upon
seeing an attractive female, a man’s testosterone level reaches climax and sometimes
he is unable to control this hormone. Being out of control means that he resorts to
speaking what his hormones pushes him to say and it often results in a woman feeling
embarrassed or annoyed. Although in these times women are becoming more
aggressive in their approach to men, the message is still directed to men as they are
the frequent abusers of their hormones.

In conclusion, the senders of the message were women of all walks of life. The
message was to make the receiver aware of the fact that their loose remarks about
women’s physical appearance are not appreciated and that its downright harassment.
The receivers of the message are men who at times cannot control their hormones
and resort to making heinous remarks about a woman.