Hey Everyone! This olive bomber jacket has become a fave of mine. It’s one of those “grab it as I’m walking out the door” type of jackets because it can go with almost anything. And the weather has cooled down enough to wear it!

As a woman, you have probably experienced cat calling of some sort in your lifetime. What is cat calling? An unsolicited remark, sound, gesture from someone of the opposite sex. Completely unwarranted and flat out annoying. When my photographer and I shoot, I prefer to be in locations that are nice and quiet because: 1) I am not a fan of busy backgrounds for my photos, and 2) I just do not have the time for people’s unnecessary comments. 

But for this outfit, we were in a relatively quiet location (or so I thought). My zen was completely thrown off when a man started to stare at us, saying “you are so fine!” “oh my God look at that (insert expletive for butt)”, “goodness y’all are just so damn fine”. Uncomfortable is a complete understatement to how I was feeling at that very moment. The man wouldn’t leave us alone, even after we had moved. It was harassment in my eyes and I was about ready to give him a piece of my mind (but my photographer told me no lol)

Cat calling is harassment. No way around it. My body is not something for you to lust upon. Simply standing in a public place and taking pictures does not warrant anyone hurling sorry pick up lines and hand gestures for you to speak to them. Walking down a street, sitting alone in front of a coffee shop, shoot, sitting at a traffic light…NONE OF THAT WARRANTS CAT CALLING! I have heard of stories of men trying to advance at a woman and when rejected, the man incites violence on the woman, sometimes even resulting in death. That is not ok! This man, regardless if he meant harm or not, was bothering my photographer and I. To the point that after awhile I couldn’t even shake the funk off.

And no, cat calling is not specific to one race or one group of people either. A lot of the time, it’s scary. You never know what someone may be thinking if you reject them. So we as women have learned to just keep walking, ignore the taunts and keep our head down in fear that we may be a news segment. Ladies, be safe out here. I know its hard, no matter where you are. Our womanhood should not be looked at as someone’s property. Below are a few precautionary measures I have taken:

1. Pepper Spray: I would hope that you would never have to use it but, doesn’t hurt to have it
2. Safe Trek: This app allows you to signal for help at the touch of your screen. You hold down the button prompt on the screen. Once you’re in a safe place, you can let go and enter in your code. If you let go and don’t enter in your passcode, the police is alerted that you are not safe and they will be dispatched to your location immediately.
3. Pinning Your Location: If you’re ever in an area and begin to feel unsafe, pin your location to your family/friends. Let them know you’re by yourself. Same with getting into a car-ride service vehicle. Share that info to them if it’s late or night or you begin to feel unsafe.

Olive Bomber Jacket (similar), Forever 21 White Ribbed Skirt & Nude Ribbed Tank, Boohoo OTK Taupe Boots (in black)

All Photograpy by @TheDreamingRebelle