Microaggression of the Week

Tat Noticing: Commenting on a Girl’s Tattoos Is Now Considered Harassment

There’s a new form of harassment out there, according to the Feminist Internet: “tat-calling,” which is basically when a man comments on a woman’s tattoos.

“I was frustrated and uncomfortable that I couldn’t just go for a simple walk without being left alone, so over the course of 40 minutes, I tweeted (using the hashtag #tatcalling . . . every tattoo-related catcall I received – just to prove a point about what a day in the life of a tattooed woman out in public in a patriarchal society feels like,” Melissa A. Fabello writes in a piece titled “My Tattoos Aren’t an Invitation for Harassment — So Please Stop ‘Tatcalling’ Me” for the blog Everyday Feminism.

I wouldn't think of doing it, though I've often been tempted on the beach.

“One guy even literally stopped to show me his tattoos,” she continues. (The horror!)

And this is apparently a huge deal. Because, according to Fabello, if you’re a man on the street and you comment on a woman’s tattoos, you’re not just commenting on that woman’s tattoos — you’re “asserting your dominance by way of reminding her that she can’t simply exist without having to entertain the whims of men.”

Of course, some tattoos are a bit more unusual than others.

“Even if you think you’re just paying her a compliment . . . you’re actually reminding her that men, on the whole, feel entitled to her space, time, and especially her body,” she continues. “Because you’re invading all three when you comment on her appearance.” Fabello explains that she didn’t get her tattoos because she thought they would look good to other people, but because “they feel like love letters written to the parts of my body I grew up hating.”

Maybe you should have them written in invisible ink, if you thought they would draw unwanted attention:



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