A wolf whistle is a specific whistle used by men to express appreciation for a woman’s looks, but it is often considered sexual harassment. It can be performed by placing two fingers in the mouth and expelling air over the tongue and between the lips. The tones can be rearranged to call attention to oneself or others. Mastering the wolf whistle takes practice, and it has been duplicated electronically in cell phone ringtones and car horns.
A wolf whistle is not a sound made by a wolf nor is it a way to call a wolf. A wolf whistle refers to a specific whistle, one that is often used by men as a way of expressing notice or appreciation for a woman’s looks. The wolf whistle is a two-fingered whistle, performed by placing two fingers in the mouth and expelling air over the tongue and between the lips. The characteristic rise and fall in pitch of the wolf whistle is often duplicated as a fingerless whistle by those who cannot whistle around the obstruction of their fingers.
While the wolf whistle has long been an open and expressive way of flirting, it is rarely well received by the women who receive it. Those who express satisfaction with someone’s sexual attractiveness should exercise caution, especially in certain situations. In the workplace, for example, even a seemingly innocent wolf whistle could be considered sexual harassment. Also, depending on the target’s company and how offensive they might find it, a wolf whistler could be in an awkward position to say the least.
The two-fingered wolf whistle may be a questionable means of flirting, but by rearranging the tones of a wolf whistle, it could instead elicit a different reaction if it is used to call attention to oneself, such as when whistling a dog or it’s called a baby. No matter how the tones are arranged, mastering the wolf whistle takes practice. Once mastered, its use is up to the individual mouth.
The typical wolf whistle used flirtatiously has often been duplicated electronically in the form of obnoxious cell phone ringtones and even car horns. Wolf Whistle is also the title of a novel by Lewis Nordan in which a young black boy is killed for whistling at a prominent white Southern woman in rural 1955 Mississippi.
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