Woman's Response to Man's 'Catcalling' Leaves Viewers Divided

A woman's video showing her response earlier this week to a man telling her to have a good day went viral on TikTok, though it left viewers divided.

Beki posted the video to her TikTok account @rebekahlindsayyyy where it amassed nearly 5 million views at the time of publication. However, viewers were conflicted over whether her response was safe, while others questioned whether the man who spoke to her on the street was catcalling.

According to Stop Street Harassment, a nonprofit that works to document and end street harassment, says there is not a single way to address street harassment.

"Every situation and person is different and often you only have a second or two to assess your safety and decide what to do," the organization noted.

It provided several strategies someone can consider if they find themselves on the receiving end of street harassment.

Some of these strategies included giving a calm and firm response to their unwelcome comments and filing a report with the appropriate authorities. Also, if someone witnesses street harassment taking place, the organization said they can see if the person being harassed needs help.

In her video, which was recorded in New York City, Beki walked by a group of men who were off to the side of a sidewalk.

"Have a good day at work, miss," one of the men said as she walked by.

She asked him to repeat himself, and he told her to have a good day at work once again.

"Oh, I thought you were like begging for money, or something," Beki retorted before she continued on her way.

The group of men began laughing before the video ended, and one could be heard saying it was a "good comeback."

Some commenters expressed their support for Beki's quick reply to the man.

"His friends will never let him live that down," wrote a TikTok viewer.

"This is iconic [not gonna lie]," another commented.

One shared that they planned to use that response when needed in the future.

Kyle Prue, a fellow content creator, who is also known for his viral videos about things that can be said to anger men, commented that he was "proud" of her response.

"Do guys like think that cat calling is hot like I don't get it," another viewer wondered.

Some commenters, however, cautioned against using that sort of response.

"Yikes I'm too scared to ever talk back like that," one viewer wrote. "Thank you smile and walk."

Another urged viewers not to use the response.

"Not everyone will laugh," they commented. "People are dangerous."

Others wondered whether the man was catcalling the woman to begin with, or if he was trying to be friendly.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he just being nice by saying have a good day at work miss?" one viewer asked. "Like I didn't think this was considered as cat calling."

Another said the man was not disrespectful.

These claims were met with pushback.

"All the [people] saying he was just being nice. U think he was saying that to every man who passed by?" a viewer asked. "Men know what they're doing. Just leave us alone."

"The amount of comments saying this isn't catcalling is concerning," another comment read.

Newsweek reached out to @rebekahlindsayyyy for comment.

Other videos that showed unwanted comments on the street have gone viral recently.

A woman's video of her insulting a catcaller went viral, while another woman's viral video showed her telling a man who harassed her that she had pepper spray. In addition, one viral video talked about an app that allows people to record sexual assault and harassment on a digital map.