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From My Balcony "Between
Wolf Whistles and Flatteries"
by Nacho Cadena - December 13, 2003
I received a very strong,
even thunderous, complaint from Doña Chola, my dear friend, a little "plump" lady,
not to say chubby, who without being known as an
Aphrodite or a Helen of Troy for her beauty, is still
a relatively good-looking woman. Her skin is clean
and healthy, her eyes are clear, her shoulder-length
hair is straight and fine, fashionably cut, her hands
are well cared for, without spots, the nails are
prudently long, cut straight across, not pointy,
in what they call the "French" cut, and nicely varnished
in a discreet natural color. I have to go back to
her face because I want to emphasize her mouth, normal
size, with slightly full lips but without exaggeration,
no, Doña Chola's are just a little full, carefully
painted light red without any shine or provocative
tones. Her skin is light and one can see that she
has used moisturizing cream ever since she was young.
I was nearly forgetting her eyebrows which, though
they are sparse, it is something we do not notice
because she went to one of those places where they
apply an eyebrow tattoo according to the taste of
the owner. On the other hand, I have to admit that
her lashes are very straight, but that is not distracting
in any way because she is full of life and happiness,
and her face always reflects joy, good humor, contentment
and empathy.
One thing that cannot be
ignored about Doña
Chola is her hips, below the waist, well, what is
left of her waist. You have never seen anyone walk
with such rhythmic hip movements, a perfect coordination
between the legs that move forward as she walks and
the hips that sway from side to side at the same
time. From here to there, you know that Doña
Chola is approaching on the sidewalk, that captivating
back and forth motion, that grace of movement that
one only acquires with good health, self-confidence
and sureness, and the memory of flattery and wolf
whistles she has received, meaning the well-known
feminine movement well known in different forums,
whether the supermarket, the church or the sidewalk
and the Malecon, which are the most heterogeneous
and demanding forum, where only the great triumph.
The motive for the complaint is very simple, she
shows me page 23 A of the Reforma daily paper in
its December 3rd issue. The note is accompanied by
the picture of a notice, which says:
"WOLF WHISTLES ARE PROHIBITED"
"Guadalajara - Although three workers have already
been fired for whisling at women passing by the
worksite located at the intersection of Patria
and Acueducto, in the capital of Jalisco, outside
of the Plaza Pabellón, it appears that the
custom of doing so is more important than the prohibition
appearing on the notice outside of the building
company's office."
"PLEASE DO NOT WHISTLE
OR OTHERWISE OFFEND PERSONS PASSING BY THIS WORK
SITE. WE INVITE YOU TO KEEP YOUR JOB."
After inquiring "what do you think of it?", Doña
Chola proceeds to explain her indignation. How is
it possible that the construction company prohibits
its workers from whistling at passers-by? First of
all, they don't just whistle, she says, they make
wolf whistles, the most passionate, stimulating and
beautiful sound a woman can hear. The notes that
flow from Benny Goodman's clarinet are horrible noises
in comparison with the angelical sound of a brick
layer's wolf whistle, highlighting the features of
women's beauty, she continued, whether they be short,
tall, flat-chested, hippy, pale or dark-skinned,
we are women and the workers know it, but in addition
they let us know it like goldfinches that sing the
praises of femininity and good taste.
I am starting to believe
that Doña Chola
is right and I hereby come to my first and very personal
conclusion: the brick layers, or better said, the
trade as a whole, has found that the ultimate evolution
of thought is to arrive at the esthetics, the beauty,
and in order to enjoy it, one does not need anything
more than reason and reflection, rather than the
use thereof. Appreciation and contemplation are sufficient
elements for the enjoyment of female beauty. Second
conclusion: those workers have the valor to express
what they feel, the communicate that which they have
perceived. If what passes before them appears worthy,
they show it and basically, that is the motive for
the wolf whistles.
How often do I enjoy a book
so much and yet I do not tell the author; or a
boss or an employee appears extremely efficient
and I never tell him; or my friend seems so smart
and nice, and I don't tell him either... how much
work would it involve to say "I like you"?
The brick layers say it.
The famous wolf whistles
of construction workers have reached the point
of international recognition, like an arrow on
a billboard showing direction, or a circle with
a diagonal line across it meaning NO, or the square
figure of a man and the triangular one of a woman
indicating washrooms, so this unmistakable whistle
is understood as "gorgeous", "beautiful", "mamacita" as
we say in Spanish, etc, etc.
The notice also prohibits
flattering comments, Doña
Chola tells me with great indignation, imagine that!
Those kinds of comments are the most cordial form
of gallantry, praise, flattery. Comments like "what
would this little bird do without this little nest?" as
a beautiful woman walks by...
Doña Chola is right. How ungrateful of that
Guadalajara construction company to fire its workers
for whistling, without realizing that those brick
layers, apart from the great merit that comes from
being the builders of the spaces we live in or work
in or have fun in, are also a stimulus to femininity
and a counterbalance to the psychological illnesses
and that which we call depression nowadays... I remember
very well how a friend of my mother's, Doña
Matilde, used to say so often: "Beatrice, whenever
you feel listless or sad or without motivation, instead
of going to see a psychiatrist, go walk by a construction
site and you'll see that after all the wolf whistles,
you'll come back full of vim and vigor, with a desire
to do and to live.
It is a big black mark against
that construction company, I do not know who they
are, but how sad that they forbid whistling and
making flattering comments. Doña Chala is
right. We are doing something wrong. We should
get back on the right track, and soon. Wolf whistles
may just be part of the solution. That's all for today. Muchas Gracias. Until next
time.
Nacho Cadena,
lapetitefrance@prodigy.net.mx
Nacho Cadena is the owner
of La Petite France , the excellent French restaurant
located right next to the entrance of the Fiesta
Americana Hotel.
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