Imogen Horton, a social media influencer with over a million followers, has spoken out about being catcalled by a group of binmen while she was out with her three young children. The incident occurred in Brighton and Hove, where the men were in a council bin truck.
Confrontation in the street
In a video shared to her followers, Imogen described how the men whistled and shouted comments like "hey mama" and "look at you mama" as she walked with her children: four-year-old Renaelia, two-year-old Oriavella, and 12-week-old Hero in a sling.
Imogen said she responded firmly, telling the men, "No, you don't get to speak to me like that." She explained that she wanted to set an example for her daughters, saying, "We don't accept people speaking to us like that. It's our body and they don't get to make comment and judgement on it."
Impact on the family
The mum described the experience as "awkward and horrible and not nice," noting that it happened at a traffic light with everyone watching. She said she never wants her daughters to feel that way, and that she showed them how to stand up against such behaviour.
In the video, she added that she had to hold back from saying things she wanted to say because her children were present. The incident has prompted comments from followers urging her to report it to the council and police.
Council response
A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesperson said: "We take the concerns raised by this resident very seriously, have contacted them to gather further details, and will ensure the matter is fully investigated."
The spokesperson added: "We are committed to ensuring Brighton and Hove is a fair and inclusive city, where discrimination, harassment, and misogyny are not tolerated. While we are proud of the work our staff do to support diversity and inclusion, we will take appropriate action if behaviour falls short of our values and expectations."
Catcalling and other forms of intentional sex-based public harassment have been illegal in England and Wales since April 1 this year, with offenders facing up to two years in jail.
