#dearcatcallers
2017-2018
#dearcatcallers

#dearcatcallers, It's not a compliment
#dearcatcallers is a new media + photography project wherein, for the duration of 1 month, I took selfies with my catcallers in the street and shared them on instagram.
The project went worldwide viral with 350.000 followers, millions of followers, thousands of comments and contributions from all over the world.
#dearcatcallers is a new media + photography project wherein, for the duration of 1 month, I took selfies with my catcallers in the street and shared them on instagram.
The project went worldwide viral with 350.000 followers, millions of followers, thousands of comments and contributions from all over the world.
#dearcatcallers

#dearcatcallers, It's not a compliment
#dearcatcallers is a new media + photography project wherein, for the duration of 1 month, I took selfies with my catcallers in the street to reverse the powerdynamics. I posted them on my instagram to raise awareness about this streetharassment.
#dearcatcallers is a new media + photography project wherein, for the duration of 1 month, I took selfies with my catcallers in the street to reverse the powerdynamics. I posted them on my instagram to raise awareness about this streetharassment.
It was a way to personally take back power in a usual powerless situation. As it was not a topic I usually talked about with my friends (it felt too frequent and too futile to constantly make a point about it) the pictures became a way to start conversations around this phenomenon. My female friends were all too familiar, my male friends had no idea that it really happened.
When the account went viral the comment section became a place to share and debate around the topic. Many genders and many cultures were giving their experiences. By initiating the '#', people from all over the world were participating and sharing the methodology.
In the composition of the picture the phenomena is visualised clearly; The men mostly laugh, showcasing their ignorance. The girls are serious, but on the forefront reclaiming the situation.
The account was created in a pre-#metoo era and went worldwide viral with 350.000 followers, millions of followers, thousands of comments and contributions form all over the world.
The #metoo movement arised 3 months after @dearcatcallers went viral, and the project was widely displayed as a visualisation of the this movement.
When the account went viral the comment section became a place to share and debate around the topic. Many genders and many cultures were giving their experiences. By initiating the '#', people from all over the world were participating and sharing the methodology.
In the composition of the picture the phenomena is visualised clearly; The men mostly laugh, showcasing their ignorance. The girls are serious, but on the forefront reclaiming the situation.
The account was created in a pre-#metoo era and went worldwide viral with 350.000 followers, millions of followers, thousands of comments and contributions form all over the world.
The #metoo movement arised 3 months after @dearcatcallers went viral, and the project was widely displayed as a visualisation of the this movement.
#dearcatcallers

#dearcatcallers, It's not a compliment
#dearcatcallers is a new media + photography project wherein, for the duration of 1 month, I took selfies with my catcallers in the street to reverse the powerdynamics. I posted them on my instagram to raise awareness about this streetharassment.
#dearcatcallers is a new media + photography project wherein, for the duration of 1 month, I took selfies with my catcallers in the street to reverse the powerdynamics. I posted them on my instagram to raise awareness about this streetharassment.
It was a way to personally take back power in a usual powerless situation. As it was not a topic I usually talked about with my friends (it felt too frequent and too futile to constantly make a point about it) the pictures became a way to start conversations around this phenomenon. My female friends were all too familiar, my male friends had no idea that it really happened.
When the account went viral the comment section became a place to share and debate around the topic. Many genders and many cultures were giving their experiences. By initiating the '#', people from all over the world were participating and sharing the methodology.
In the composition of the picture the phenomena is visualised clearly; The men mostly laugh, showcasing their ignorance. The girls are serious, but on the forefront reclaiming the situation.
The account was created in a pre-#metoo era and went worldwide viral with 350.000 followers, millions of followers, thousands of comments and contributions form all over the world.
The #metoo movement arised 3 months after @dearcatcallers went viral, and the project was widely displayed as a visualisation of the this movement. I have given a wide range of international lectures and exhibitions around the theme and project.
In 2025, I archived the instagram account.
My intention of the project was always a personal coping with the streetharassment, and an aim to create a wider spread conversation. It has never been about shaming these specific men. I wish to cancel structural streetharassemt, I don't wish to cancel individuals.
I created the account in 2017 when #metoo and the followed cancelculture did not exist yet. Social debates are living phenomena and I believe archiving a project like this need contextual awareness to understand its intended position correctly. I don't think instagram(culture) is the same place as when this project was created.
I still fully trust and stand behind the project.
When the account went viral the comment section became a place to share and debate around the topic. Many genders and many cultures were giving their experiences. By initiating the '#', people from all over the world were participating and sharing the methodology.
In the composition of the picture the phenomena is visualised clearly; The men mostly laugh, showcasing their ignorance. The girls are serious, but on the forefront reclaiming the situation.
The account was created in a pre-#metoo era and went worldwide viral with 350.000 followers, millions of followers, thousands of comments and contributions form all over the world.
The #metoo movement arised 3 months after @dearcatcallers went viral, and the project was widely displayed as a visualisation of the this movement. I have given a wide range of international lectures and exhibitions around the theme and project.
In 2025, I archived the instagram account.
My intention of the project was always a personal coping with the streetharassment, and an aim to create a wider spread conversation. It has never been about shaming these specific men. I wish to cancel structural streetharassemt, I don't wish to cancel individuals.
I created the account in 2017 when #metoo and the followed cancelculture did not exist yet. Social debates are living phenomena and I believe archiving a project like this need contextual awareness to understand its intended position correctly. I don't think instagram(culture) is the same place as when this project was created.
I still fully trust and stand behind the project.
Exhibitions
FABRICA CIRCUS, FABRICA, Treviso, Italy ↗
Nederlands Film Festival - Gouden Kalf, Utrecht, Netherlands ↗
Museum of World Cultures of Barcelona (AGePaCC), Barcelona, Spai
Villa Pérochon, Centre d’art contemporain photographique, Niort, France ↗
PORTRAIT(S), Vichy, France ↗
Awards
Winner: Gouden Kalf (Interactive), Dutch Film Festival
Nominee: Dutch Directors Award
Official selected: Canon Zilveren Camera, Prijs voor Storytelling ↗
Talks
European Commission, Safer Internet Forum, Brussels ↗
TEDxTalk Vicenza, Italy
Instagram HQ, Facebook HQ, Google HQ, Dublin, Ireland
United Nations Human Rights, Digital Campaign
The Hmm, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
FABRICA art and design research centre, Italy
A City Made by People, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum of Communication, Lisbon, Portugal
Nederlands Film Festival: Professionals programme; Utopian Narratives in the digital age
Nederlands Film Festival, Gouden Kalf Avond
NOOR Foundation, Storytelling in the Digital age, Pakhuis de Zwyger, Amsterdam
Published mentions
- Book: Poetics of Digital Media - Paul Frosh ↗
-Book: Image Testimonies: Witnessing in Times of Social Media - edited by Kerstin Schankweiler, Verena Straub, Tobias Wendl ↗
-Academic paper: Insta-girlhood: Selfies as Auto-Performatice Responses to Sexism and Misogyny, Silvia Schultermandl. University of Münster ↗
-Academic Paper: Hashtag(#), A New Approach to Art Practise Based on the Dynamics of the Social Networkds. - Isabel Gaspar - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ↗
-Academic Paper: Online activism and street harassment: Critical cartographies, counter-mapping and spatial justice - Bianca Kate Fileborn -University of Melbourne ↗
-Academic Paper: Social Media and Everyday Politics - Tim Highfield - Croatian International Relations Review ↗
-Academic Paper: Fighting sexual violence in Egypt on social media: A visual essay on assault police - Amr Marzouk & Gabry Vanderveen ↗
Press
BBC ↗
Die Welt ↗
ITV Good Morning Britain ↗
The Guardian ↗
Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗
VICE ↗
ABC NEWS ↗
Independent ↗
The Indian Express ↗
DAZED ↗
FRANCE24 English ↗
Daily Mirror ↗
Global Citizen ↗
Tendencia.tv ↗
Huffington Post ↗
Hürriyet ↗
TeenVogue ↗
New York Post ↗
Good Morning Britain ↗
DNA INDIA ↗
YAHOO ↗
BNN club hub ↗
The Sun ↗
Huffingtonpost JAPAN ↗
AlJazeeraplus ↗
Le Monde ↗
BBC ARABI ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
Hart van Nederland ↗
Le Figaro ↗
KONBINI ↗
AD ↗
La Repubblica ↗
BRUT. ↗
Metro ↗
La Nacion ↗
LINDA ↗
AJplus ↗
FOXNews ↗
O Globo ↗
La Vanguardia ↗
Jakarta Post ↗
Boredpanda ↗
FunX ↗
Parool ↗
La República ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
3FM Mark & Ramon
NRC Handelsblad ↗
El Universal ↗
1LIVE
Everipedia ↗
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
NPO3 ↗
Euronews ↗
FABRICA CIRCUS, FABRICA, Treviso, Italy ↗

Nederlands Film Festival - Gouden Kalf, Utrecht, Netherlands ↗

Museum of World Cultures of Barcelona (AGePaCC), Barcelona, Spai

Villa Pérochon, Centre d’art contemporain photographique, Niort, France ↗
PORTRAIT(S), Vichy, France ↗
Awards
Winner: Gouden Kalf (Interactive), Dutch Film Festival

Nominee: Dutch Directors Award

Official selected: Canon Zilveren Camera, Prijs voor Storytelling ↗

Talks
European Commission, Safer Internet Forum, Brussels ↗

TEDxTalk Vicenza, Italy

Instagram HQ, Facebook HQ, Google HQ, Dublin, Ireland

United Nations Human Rights, Digital Campaign

The Hmm, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
FABRICA art and design research centre, Italy

A City Made by People, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum of Communication, Lisbon, Portugal

Nederlands Film Festival: Professionals programme; Utopian Narratives in the digital age
Nederlands Film Festival, Gouden Kalf Avond
NOOR Foundation, Storytelling in the Digital age, Pakhuis de Zwyger, Amsterdam

Published mentions
- Book: Poetics of Digital Media - Paul Frosh ↗

-Book: Image Testimonies: Witnessing in Times of Social Media - edited by Kerstin Schankweiler, Verena Straub, Tobias Wendl ↗

-Academic paper: Insta-girlhood: Selfies as Auto-Performatice Responses to Sexism and Misogyny, Silvia Schultermandl. University of Münster ↗

-Academic Paper: Hashtag(#), A New Approach to Art Practise Based on the Dynamics of the Social Networkds. - Isabel Gaspar - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ↗

-Academic Paper: Online activism and street harassment: Critical cartographies, counter-mapping and spatial justice - Bianca Kate Fileborn -University of Melbourne ↗

-Academic Paper: Social Media and Everyday Politics - Tim Highfield - Croatian International Relations Review ↗

-Academic Paper: Fighting sexual violence in Egypt on social media: A visual essay on assault police - Amr Marzouk & Gabry Vanderveen ↗

Press
BBC ↗
Die Welt ↗
ITV Good Morning Britain ↗
The Guardian ↗
Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗
VICE ↗
ABC NEWS ↗
Independent ↗
The Indian Express ↗
DAZED ↗
FRANCE24 English ↗
Daily Mirror ↗
Global Citizen ↗
Tendencia.tv ↗
Huffington Post ↗
Hürriyet ↗
TeenVogue ↗
New York Post ↗
Good Morning Britain ↗
DNA INDIA ↗
YAHOO ↗
BNN club hub ↗
The Sun ↗
Huffingtonpost JAPAN ↗
AlJazeeraplus ↗
Le Monde ↗
BBC ARABI ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
Hart van Nederland ↗
Le Figaro ↗
KONBINI ↗
AD ↗
La Repubblica ↗
BRUT. ↗
Metro ↗
La Nacion ↗
LINDA ↗
AJplus ↗
FOXNews ↗
O Globo ↗
La Vanguardia ↗
Jakarta Post ↗
Boredpanda ↗
FunX ↗
Parool ↗
La República ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
3FM Mark & Ramon
NRC Handelsblad ↗
El Universal ↗
1LIVE
Everipedia ↗
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
NPO3 ↗
Euronews ↗
Exhibitions
FABRICA CIRCUS, FABRICA, Treviso, Italy ↗
Nederlands Film Festival - Gouden Kalf, Utrecht, Netherlands ↗
Museum of World Cultures of Barcelona (AGePaCC), Barcelona, Spai
Villa Pérochon, Centre d’art contemporain photographique, Niort, France ↗
PORTRAIT(S), Vichy, France ↗
Awards
Winner: Gouden Kalf (Interactive), Dutch Film Festival
Nominee: Dutch Directors Award
Official selected: Canon Zilveren Camera, Prijs voor Storytelling ↗
Talks
European Commission, Safer Internet Forum, Brussels ↗
TEDxTalk Vicenza, Italy
Instagram HQ, Facebook HQ, Google HQ, Dublin, Ireland
United Nations Human Rights, Digital Campaign
The Hmm, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
FABRICA art and design research centre, Italy
A City Made by People, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum of Communication, Lisbon, Portugal
Nederlands Film Festival: Professionals programme; Utopian Narratives in the digital age
Nederlands Film Festival, Gouden Kalf Avond
NOOR Foundation, Storytelling in the Digital age, Pakhuis de Zwyger, Amsterdam
Publications
Poetics of Digital Media - Paul Frosh ↗
Press
BBC ↗
Die Welt ↗
I-D ↗
ITV Good Morning Britain ↗
The Guardian ↗
Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗
VICE ↗
ABC NEWS ↗
Independent ↗
The Indian Express ↗
DAZED ↗
FRANCE24 English ↗
Daily Mirror ↗
Global Citizen ↗
Tendencia.tv ↗
Huffington Post ↗
Hürriyet ↗
TeenVogue ↗
New York Post ↗
Good Morning Britain ↗
DNA INDIA ↗
YAHOO ↗
BNN club hub ↗
The Sun ↗
Huffingtonpost JAPAN ↗
AlJazeeraplus ↗
Le Monde ↗
BBC ARABI ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
Hart van Nederland ↗
Le Figaro ↗
KONBINI ↗
AD ↗
La Repubblica ↗
BRUT. ↗
Metro ↗
La Nacion ↗
LINDA ↗
AJplus ↗
FOXNews ↗
O Globo ↗
RADIO
La Vanguardia ↗
Jakarta Post ↗
Boredpanda ↗
FunX ↗
Parool ↗
La República ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
BBC Radio 5
NRC Handelsblad ↗
El Universal ↗
Everipedia ↗
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
NPO3 ↗
Euronews ↗
1LIVE
3FM Mark & Ramon
FABRICA CIRCUS, FABRICA, Treviso, Italy ↗

Nederlands Film Festival - Gouden Kalf, Utrecht, Netherlands ↗

Museum of World Cultures of Barcelona (AGePaCC), Barcelona, Spai

Villa Pérochon, Centre d’art contemporain photographique, Niort, France ↗
PORTRAIT(S), Vichy, France ↗
Awards
Winner: Gouden Kalf (Interactive), Dutch Film Festival

Nominee: Dutch Directors Award

Official selected: Canon Zilveren Camera, Prijs voor Storytelling ↗

Talks
European Commission, Safer Internet Forum, Brussels ↗

TEDxTalk Vicenza, Italy

Instagram HQ, Facebook HQ, Google HQ, Dublin, Ireland

United Nations Human Rights, Digital Campaign

The Hmm, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
FABRICA art and design research centre, Italy

A City Made by People, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum of Communication, Lisbon, Portugal

Nederlands Film Festival: Professionals programme; Utopian Narratives in the digital age
Nederlands Film Festival, Gouden Kalf Avond
NOOR Foundation, Storytelling in the Digital age, Pakhuis de Zwyger, Amsterdam

Publications
Poetics of Digital Media - Paul Frosh ↗

Press
BBC ↗
Die Welt ↗
I-D ↗
ITV Good Morning Britain ↗
The Guardian ↗
Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗
VICE ↗
ABC NEWS ↗
Independent ↗
The Indian Express ↗
DAZED ↗
FRANCE24 English ↗
Daily Mirror ↗
Global Citizen ↗
Tendencia.tv ↗
Huffington Post ↗
Hürriyet ↗
TeenVogue ↗
New York Post ↗
Good Morning Britain ↗
DNA INDIA ↗
YAHOO ↗
BNN club hub ↗
The Sun ↗
Huffingtonpost JAPAN ↗
AlJazeeraplus ↗
Le Monde ↗
BBC ARABI ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
Hart van Nederland ↗
Le Figaro ↗
KONBINI ↗
AD ↗
La Repubblica ↗
BRUT. ↗
Metro ↗
La Nacion ↗
LINDA ↗
AJplus ↗
FOXNews ↗
O Globo ↗
RADIO
La Vanguardia ↗
Jakarta Post ↗
Boredpanda ↗
FunX ↗
Parool ↗
La República ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
BBC Radio 5
NRC Handelsblad ↗
El Universal ↗
Everipedia ↗
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
NPO3 ↗
Euronews ↗
1LIVE
3FM Mark & Ramon
Exhibitions
FABRICA CIRCUS, FABRICA, Treviso, Italy ↗
Nederlands Film Festival - Gouden Kalf, Utrecht, Netherlands ↗
Museum of World Cultures of Barcelona (AGePaCC), Barcelona, Spai
Villa Pérochon, Centre d’art contemporain photographique, Niort, France ↗
PORTRAIT(S), Vichy, France ↗
Awards
Winner: Gouden Kalf (Interactive), Dutch Film Festival
Nominee: Dutch Directors Award
Official selected: Canon Zilveren Camera, Prijs voor Storytelling ↗
Talks
European Commission, Safer Internet Forum, Brussels ↗
TEDxTalk Vicenza, Italy
Instagram HQ, Facebook HQ, Google HQ, Dublin, Ireland
United Nations Human Rights, Digital Campaign
The Hmm, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
FABRICA art and design research centre, Italy
A City Made by People, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum of Communication, Lisbon, Portugal
Nederlands Film Festival: Professionals programme; Utopian Narratives in the digital age
Nederlands Film Festival, Gouden Kalf Avond
NOOR Foundation, Storytelling in the Digital age, Pakhuis de Zwyger, Amsterdam
Publications
Poetics of Digital Media - Paul Frosh ↗
Press
BBC ↗
Die Welt ↗
I-D ↗
ITV Good Morning Britain ↗
The Guardian ↗
Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗
VICE ↗
ABC NEWS ↗
Independent ↗
The Indian Express ↗
DAZED ↗
FRANCE24 English ↗
Daily Mirror ↗
Global Citizen ↗
Tendencia.tv ↗
Huffington Post ↗
Hürriyet ↗
TeenVogue ↗
New York Post ↗
Good Morning Britain ↗
DNA INDIA ↗
YAHOO ↗
BNN club hub ↗
The Sun ↗
Huffingtonpost JAPAN ↗
AlJazeeraplus ↗
Le Monde ↗
BBC ARABI ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
Hart van Nederland ↗
Le Figaro ↗
KONBINI ↗
AD ↗
La Repubblica ↗
BRUT. ↗
Metro ↗
La Nacion ↗
LINDA ↗
AJplus ↗
FOXNews ↗
O Globo ↗
RADIO
La Vanguardia ↗
Jakarta Post ↗
Boredpanda ↗
FunX ↗
Parool ↗
La República ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
BBC Radio 5
NRC Handelsblad ↗
El Universal ↗
Everipedia ↗
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
NPO3 ↗
Euronews ↗
1LIVE
3FM Mark & Ramon
FABRICA CIRCUS, FABRICA, Treviso, Italy ↗

Nederlands Film Festival - Gouden Kalf, Utrecht, Netherlands ↗

Museum of World Cultures of Barcelona (AGePaCC), Barcelona, Spai

Villa Pérochon, Centre d’art contemporain photographique, Niort, France ↗
PORTRAIT(S), Vichy, France ↗
Awards
Winner: Gouden Kalf (Interactive), Dutch Film Festival

Nominee: Dutch Directors Award

Official selected: Canon Zilveren Camera, Prijs voor Storytelling ↗

Talks
European Commission, Safer Internet Forum, Brussels ↗

TEDxTalk Vicenza, Italy

Instagram HQ, Facebook HQ, Google HQ, Dublin, Ireland

United Nations Human Rights, Digital Campaign

The Hmm, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
FABRICA art and design research centre, Italy

A City Made by People, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum of Communication, Lisbon, Portugal

Nederlands Film Festival: Professionals programme; Utopian Narratives in the digital age
Nederlands Film Festival, Gouden Kalf Avond
NOOR Foundation, Storytelling in the Digital age, Pakhuis de Zwyger, Amsterdam

Publications
Poetics of Digital Media - Paul Frosh ↗

Press
BBC ↗
Die Welt ↗
I-D ↗
ITV Good Morning Britain ↗
The Guardian ↗
Süddeutsche Zeitung ↗
VICE ↗
ABC NEWS ↗
Independent ↗
The Indian Express ↗
DAZED ↗
FRANCE24 English ↗
Daily Mirror ↗
Global Citizen ↗
Tendencia.tv ↗
Huffington Post ↗
Hürriyet ↗
TeenVogue ↗
New York Post ↗
Good Morning Britain ↗
DNA INDIA ↗
YAHOO ↗
BNN club hub ↗
The Sun ↗
Huffingtonpost JAPAN ↗
AlJazeeraplus ↗
Le Monde ↗
BBC ARABI ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
Hart van Nederland ↗
Le Figaro ↗
KONBINI ↗
AD ↗
La Repubblica ↗
BRUT. ↗
Metro ↗
La Nacion ↗
LINDA ↗
AJplus ↗
FOXNews ↗
O Globo ↗
RADIO
La Vanguardia ↗
Jakarta Post ↗
Boredpanda ↗
FunX ↗
Parool ↗
La República ↗
BuzzFeed ↗
BBC Radio 5
NRC Handelsblad ↗
El Universal ↗
Everipedia ↗
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
NPO3 ↗
Euronews ↗
1LIVE
3FM Mark & Ramon




Exhibition FABRICA, Treviso, Italy

Artist talk in FABRICA

Exhibition Dutch Film Festival - Golden Calf Award.

Thousands of exhibited comments of @dearcatcallers




































