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There's nothing that makes a woman's skin crawl quite like getting catcalled on the street. 20-year-old Amsterdam-based student Noa Jansma, much like the rest of us, was pretty fed up with it, and decided to do something about it. Throughout the month of September, she took a selfie with every single creep who harassed her and uploaded them on Instagram, captioning each one with the words of her abusers.

What do the photos say? By juxtaposing the catcallers' callous, unashamed grins with her own exhausted, painfully familiar expression, Jansma shows the world just how frequent, real, and disturbing these experiences are for women everywhere. She also gains power over them, though, by documenting their actions and putting them on display for the whole world to see. Though her own experiment has ended, she has opened the @dearcatcallers Instagram page for submissions in hopes of creating a global dialogue on the collective struggle women face.

From January 1st, 2018, catcalling will be punishable by law in Jansma's native Netherlands, and violators will be subject to fines of up to 190 euros ($220). If her daring project continues to go viral, perhaps more nations will follow suit.

More info: Instagram

#1

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Amanda Panda
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This made me throw up a little bit in my mouth. I definitely would NOT have let him put his disgusting paws on me.

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Amanda Panda
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Attracted to how long she looks no doubt. Too bad there wasn't a photo of the license plate.

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Amanda Panda
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something tells me he's probably a virgin. He wouldn't now what to do with any girl. Perv.

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Martin Forbes
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These guys are probably going to go about their day not thinking anything of what effect they had on her. When I was in my mid twenties I used to do this when I was with friends until my sister who's 4 years younger came home crying. It turned out that some guys on her way home from work were wolf whistling and shouting comments out on the street, some were even following her until she went to her friend's house and her friend's dad came out and chased them away. This got me thinking into my behaviour, and I immediately stopped doing this and found new friends to hang out with. Now aged 43, my behaviour in the past still bothers me to this day, hope these guys get their own wake up call really soon.

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Agnes Jekyll
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

sometimes we don't see our actions until they are reflected back at us. It takes a strong person to admit what you have here. You're clearly a kind person.

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Rogue Angel
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know what I would do to him, too... Elbow to the chin, then a knee as he buckles, and a swift kick in the nuts.!

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Salomé Ferreira Martins da Silva
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pathetic losers... I had this exact same problems daily when I was still going to school in Arnhem (NL) with public transport. Now that I have a car I can say I feel liberated!!

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Daniel Carvalho
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You defined these gauys as losers but it is a idea produced by ego... there is no fact or value on ego concluded statements

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Cameron Stone
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If a man is FOLLOWING you, KEEPING you from leaving, or words become violent minded...THEN it's wrong behavior that deserves legal remedies. If a man is wolf whistling, cat calling, tossing rude comments at you, it's just human beings acting rude or even inappropriately. It's not cause to treat them as if they're some kind of evil, warped creature with rape in is heart.

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Cameron Stone
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If funny. All these men have ACTUALLY done is to cat call, wolf whistle and make crude sexual comments. And most of the women here have accused them of looking like RAPISTS, CHILD MOLESTERS, PERVERTS, PEDOPHILES, MURDERERS. I think the problem is clear. Unattractive males who express themselves sexually...MUST be evil beings deserving of imprisonment, torture and death.

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Ellis
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know what I would do with him too. And it aint pretty!

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Pamela Grove
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now this one looks scary, I could see him abducting someone. He's creepy looking.

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Daniel Carvalho
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If this guy really were a serial kilelr type this girls wound not consider him as harassing her. This conclusion aboout that guy being som type of maniace is ridiculous. This woomen just has over inflated ego nothing more.

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Kathy Wilcox
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LMAO! Wow, you are stupid. I received catcalls walking down the street when I was TWELVE, as MANY GIRLS (yes, children) do. Yet, it's THEIR ego? You are f*****g moron, Daniel Carvalho. Nobody here thinks you have an intelligent opinion--go read a book.

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Pennyworth
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know what I'd do with him. It includes a broken beer bottle.

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Annastasia Allard
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They sure wouldn't like it if it was their granddaughter or daughter. These old men have no damn business trying to talk to a child. HOW DARE THEM.

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Ellis
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He won'tlook sad anymore when I'm done doing what I want to do with him, he'll just look dead

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Aurelia Grey
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like what this perv would do is hack her to death with a knife

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Amanda Panda
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like he wanted to eat her, judging by the size of that belly, he probably did! Creep!

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Rebekah
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A bunch of men, at a table together. This just amplifies the scariness to me. Bastards.

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Agnes Jekyll
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That whistling is for each other. They know it won't get her attention, but it proves their manhood and humiliates her at the same time. If she ignores it, they get what they want. If she tells them off, it makes them even more proud of themselves. She's documenting it, and if they don't realize what tools they look like, at least everyone who sees them does.

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Cathy
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And all the time I was thinking 'well this doesn't happen in Amsterdam... Amsterdam people are polite'. Wrong. 😖

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LostSoul
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6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Hey girl, where are you going?" ~ "Home" ~ "Can we join? Where do you live? Think we can do fun things together"

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