Catcalling, But Different?

Let’s talk about something that people often ask me about, but that doesn’t usually make it into polished travel blogs: catcalling.

Does it happen in Morocco?

Absolutely.

But here’s the part I wasn’t expecting — it has often been the most polite catcalling I’ve ever experienced, and it rarely carries the edge of aggression I’ve felt elsewhere.

Most days, it sounds like:

“Hello, welcome to Morocco!”

“You’re very beautiful!”

“Hi — you look pretty today!”

And my personal favorite:

“Hello. You look smart.”

(Truly — may all compliments from now on be about my perceived intelligence.)

I’ve had strangers ask for my number. I’ve been invited for coffee. I’ve been approached on the street with smiles and curiosity.

And every single time I’ve said no, the reaction has been simple: “Okay. Bye.”

No following.No pushing.No muttered insults under the breath.No sudden shift into anger.

Just — respect, and moving on.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t complicated. Catcalling is still rooted in entitlement, and I’m aware that other women — Moroccan and foreign — may have very different experiences than mine. I’m not speaking for an entire country. I can only speak to what I have lived so far.

But there is something else here that has surprised me in the best way.

When Someone Hits on Your Friend

In the U.S., when someone shows interest in a friend of mine, I’m used to becoming invisible. The person zeroes in on my friend like they’re on a mission. I become the obstacle. The “competition.” The one they need to peel away.

And honestly? It puts me on guard.

Why are you trying to separate my friend from me? What’s your plan?

Here, it has felt completely different.

Any time I’ve been out with a friend and someone approached them, I’ve never been ignored. I’ve been greeted. Acknowledged. Included in the conversation.

Often it’s something like:

“I see you’re out together. You’re welcome to both join us — or we can talk another time.”

There’s room. There’s awareness. There’s no sense that I am the barrier to be eliminated.

I don’t feel protective or suspicious. I don’t feel like I need to step in. I don’t feel tension rise in my shoulders.

Instead, I stay relaxed — because the social dynamic is transparent and respectful.

Again — this is not every situation, everywhere, all the time. Morocco is complex, full of people with different values and behaviors, just like anywhere else.

But this has been a part of my experience here. Unexpected and refreshing.

And it’s one of the many moments that reminds me: travel doesn’t just change the way we see the world — it changes the lenses we assumed were universal.