An analytical essay written for my WRT 109 class at Syracuse University. This piece speaks on art made by women around the world addressing toxic masculinity.
Female Art Against Toxic Masculinity
By: Janai Berrocal
First used in the 17th century, “catcalling,” or what came to be known as a “wolf-whistle,” was a tactic practiced by audience members to confuse performers on stage. These actions then later translated into street harassment when men, specifically well-dressed white men, began to aggressively flirt with women when passing them on the streets. These men were labeled as “mashers” and they became very well known before the Women’s Suffrage Movement, especially when women began to stick up for themselves and confront their perpetrators directly. For instance, in 1970, women really took a stand against street harassment with the Wall Street “Ogle-In.” At this event, organized by Karla Jay and Alix Kates Shulman, the women involved turn the tables of street harassment and cat-calling onto men. During this time, newspapers would publish the commuting routes and times, and the physical attributes of women who worked on Wall Street. The men reading these papers would then take it upon themselves to locate these women and harass them outside of their workplaces. As a result, the women flipped the script and began yelling sexualized comments at the men on Wall Street during the “Ogle-In.” One woman was even quoted as saying, “We’re trying to point out what it feels like to be whistled at, pointed at constantly every time we walk down the street…they think that we’re just sexual objects. And we don’t want to be sexual objects anymore.”
Since then, women have joined forces all over the world to combat street harassment and cat-calling, as it is still prevalent in today’s society. One example of cultural resistance includes the “Stop Telling Women to Smile” art project, which was created in Brooklyn, New York by illustrator and painter Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. In fall 2012, Fazlalizadeh embarked on branching out from her usual art practices and began practicing public mural art, when she had the idea to use street art as a tool against toxic masculinity, cat-calling, and gender-based street harassment as a whole. As a woman living in New York City, where street harassment occurs on a daily-basis to both men and women, Fazlalizadeh found inspiration to draw female portraits and address the perpetrators on the streets. First, she sits down with each woman and listens to their story of experiencing cat-calling or harassment while walking in NYC. Then, she takes the women’s pictures and draws their portraits using charcoal pencils. Lastly, she takes a direct quote from the woman’s story or a statement that represents the encounters well and pastes it below the portrait. These direct statements to perpetrators, specifically men, help both Fazlalizadeh and the women involved get the message across that these words are coming directly from real women who have experienced this type of harassment. The most important takeaway from the “Stop Telling Women to Smile” movement is that the stories are real, and that the women are real humans who deserve to be treated with respect from everyone around them. No matter their occupation, clothing, appearance, or personality, women were not put on this Earth for male enjoyment.
Since its creation, Fazlalizadeh’s project has expanded outside of New York City into cities all over the world, including Paris, Berlin, Ottawa, and even Mexico City. Women in each of these places have joined the movement and even had their portraits displayed to spread awareness about street harassment regardless of their race, origin, ethnicity, etc. For example, the image that I have chosen to examine for culture resistance is a drawing of three women with the words “Harassing Women Does Not Prove Your Masculinity,” written below them. After listening to each of their stories individually, Fazlalizadeh recognized a common theme and decided to include all three of these strong women on one poster. This statement stood out to me the most because of how powerful it is alone, but with the addition of the three women drawn above it, it is even stronger. Toxic masculinity is an epidemic. Men all over the world have this preconceived notion that in order to prove that they are masculine, they must promote their dominance over women at all times. The statement in this poster directly addresses this problem by attempting to convince men that they do not have to verbally harass women in the streets to demonstrate that they are manly and tough. Although one poster is not going to fix everything, I think that it does an amazing job at making people think about their actions because of how commanding the sentence is. Also, with how potent the statement is coming from women, it might cause men to take a step back and realize that women do not need to be controlled because they can be dominant themselves.
However, although their stories might have been similar, the artist made sure to acknowledge that each woman is physically different. Even though the poster is in black and white, it is very apparent that the women come from different backgrounds and have different ethnicities. For instance, the woman all the way to the left is most likely white, while the two other women most likely identify as black or African-American. Instead of ignoring these differences, Fazlalizadeh does an amazing job at embracing them, while also emphasizing that women are not meant to always be depicted as glorified models like in the media. She does a very good job at showcasing their true beauty, even if that might not fit usual societal standards. For instance, the women are drawn in their natural states, with normal sized noses, eyes, etc. They also have different hair styles as well, with one woman having her hair down and straight, and with the other women having much shorter hairstyles that might not be viewed as feminine, but still are. The drawings also focus on the chest up, drawing attention to the fact that these women, and all women, are more than just what their bodies look like. The women are staring directly into their perpetrator’s eyes and informing them that they are real human beings who are no longer going to cower to street harassment (Fazlalizadeh).
Similar to Fazlalizadeh’s art, Stephen Duncombe describes cultural resistance and the examples that he has participated in, in his “Cultural Resistance Reader.” In the introduction of his novel, Duncombe recalls when he engaged in an act of cultural resistance in Manhattan, NY. He actually played a role in “Reclaim the Streets,” a movement protesting against increased policing and the privatization of New York City. Duncombe also added that he had been participating in cultural resistance since he had first heard punk rock music, a genre known for providing its listeners with political ideas. Like Fazlalizadeh and the women participating in her project, Duncombe describes culture resistance as, “the creation of a sort of safe sanctuary, a ‘haven in a heartless world’” (Duncombe 6). For the women a part of “Stop Telling Women to Smile,” the movement has become a sort of refuge to protect them from the poor treatment of their harassers. By joining a group of women fighting against the same thing, it gives the women a sense of security against their perpetrators with a lessened fear of the consequences if they do publicly speak out against street harassment and cat-calling. Similarly, Duncombe also mentions the act of “creating your own culture,” when discussing cultural resistance and the many ways to partake in it. Fazlalizadeh’s art is a direct example of a creation of culture because it was created by her for the purpose of getting an important message out. Without her art, the “Stop Telling Women to Smile” project would have no ground to stand on. Her creativity and drawings are what speak directly to perpetrators and get them to recognize that women are actual human beings who deserve to be respected. However, without the women to participate in the movement and telling their stories, Fazlalizadeh would not be able to display such a strong message to attempt to put an end to street harassment everywhere.
Works Cited
Duncombe, Stephen. Introduction to The Cultural Resistance Reader, 2002.
H. Kearl. “Women’s History: Street Harassment Resistance in 1944 and 1970.” Stop Street
Harassment, 3 Mar. 2015,
stopstreetharassment.org/2015/03/womens-history-1944-and-1970/.
“Stop Telling Women to Smile.” Tlynnfaz, tlynnfaz.com/stop-telling-women-to-smile. Accessed
3 Nov. 2023.