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  • From the Archives: An Essay by Enrique Fernández

    Merry day after Christmas! We’re posting a story that explains why some men cat-call women on the street. It's also about desiring people of the cloth and more generally about the sexuality of a lapsed Roman Catholic. But what sticks out in our mind is this explanation of cat-calls, or piropos:

    “Theoretically, the ultimate point of the piropo is seduction, but no one actually believes that will come to pass; all enunciators of piropos are sexual agnostics. The real point of the piropo is to make the woman smile, even if only inwardly.”

    What a great explanation! We should note that “what differentiates [a piropo] from harassment is, in a word, wit. Say something inappropriate, flat, dull, clumsy, silly or — the horror! — gross, and you're a jerk, a loser, a schlemiel.” How nice, as a woman, to think of witty comments as something apart from harassment.  

    To read more about piropos and the erect nipples of a female Episcopalian priest, click here.


    Posted Dec 26 2007, 01:00 PM by Sarah with | with no comments

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