Shoshana Roberts’ video diary of cat calls she was subjected to has gone viral, sparking a passionate debate. INSIDE EDITION has her story.
With a hidden camera recording her every move, a woman hit the streets of New York City. What followed next was a nonstop barrage of cat calls.
Some are, at least on the surface, mild and polite, like, “How are you this morning?”
But others are downright creepy. One guy asked, “You don't want to talk? Because I’m ugly. Huh?”
Another guy followed her for a full five minutes without saying a word.
Twenty-four-year-old aspiring actress Shoshana Roberts told INSIDE EDITION’s Megan Alexander she recorded 108 cat calls in the 10 hours while she was filming on the street.
She told Alexander, “I was livid with anger. I was about to cry with fear. I should have the right to feel safe walking down the street.”
The video has now gone viral with over six-and-a-half million views on YouTube and counting.
"Please watch this video. You'll be stunned to see what it's like to just walk down the street as a woman,” said one viewer. But another said, "What is wrong with complimenting the girl?"
There was a passionate debate between co-hosts Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell on CBS This Morning.
King said, "I am not going to get upset because somebody said, 'Hey girl, you look good today!' You know what I say? I twirl and say 'Thank you.' It would be different if they were throwing you on the ground and saying, 'Hey, I want to boink your brains out!'"
Megan Alexander asked Roberts, “Are you surprised at the reaction?”
She replied, "I am. Everybody has a story. I have my story, but obviously my story is not unique."
Roberts made the video for Hollaback, an organization that combats street harassment. She says she's actually received rape threats about the video the whole nation is talking about.
She told Alexander, "I am going to go to my home police precinct because I don't feel safe right now, because of the threats I am getting."
Just last month, INSIDE EDITION conducted a similar investigation, catching cat calls on the street with our own cameras.
As for Roberts, she says being subjected to cat calls is simply unacceptable, saying, "This is happening to so many women. Countless."
