Kristen Roupenian’s “Cat Person” was incredibly realistic yet incredibly uncomfortable.

I think it did a good job of making you wonder who was more wrong for what they’re doing when all of it felt wrong. It’ll always be the older guy in my eyes, but it did a good job framing him as a decently nice guy most of the time, which I think is what partially made it so realistic. Though her intentions seemed ill from the get-go, like saying he was never the kind of guy she’d pursue at a party, the moments that made her actually swoon somewhat still felt believable. In the early bits I almost really sympathized with her when she’d talk about him being just attractive enough to be a class crush to overcome academic boredom, because I did the same in high school in classes that really bored me, towards people I could not care less about nor even really remember. Though, the way he made her feel felt evident from a viewer perspective that it wasn’t real romance, & she just liked the feeling of appreciation, & more evidently by the end the ego boost. This is very very obvious in the sex scene when she’s able to arouse herself by imagining how she must be amazing for him & he’s probably so grateful for the opportunity. I don’t think its wrong to want to feel desired like this, but reading it so explicitly almost made me wince at given moments, though I think its probably a feeling present in most people, even if not so extreme as it is for her. I think its fatherly issues to an extent, as “step-father” is mentioned but that’s all, & she only seems to “love” hi, when its mentioned he’s older & it’s mentioned how he sees her as something delicate & worth protecting, which is a role a father should typically take on.

I also think he was a realistic character as far as men work, since he seemed to play up the nice guy demeanor, but when it came down to things getting sexual & her leaving him, he took up the typical expectation of demanding, feeling as if they’re entitled to bodies or explanations. This in addition to his masculine appearance that’s described a few times (lumberjack-esque & whatnot) yet his heightened sensitivity to criticism from her. He also claimed to think she was older, but meeting her at her job that is a movie theater cashier, how old could you really have taken her for? It reminds me of that chart where as women age they find older men (as in their own age) attractive, yet men sort of lock in an age in the 18-26 range no matter how old they, themselves are. (attached below)

As much as many moments throughout it made my skin crawl or my heart want to dig a way out of my rib cage, the ending really sold that feeling within me. Just the validation of her suspicions throughout the whole work, even if not a murderer, he was not the greatest guy. Even though he said she was drunk, he still took her home. Even though he said it was okay she didn’t want a relationship, he demanded a response & demeaned & devalued her as soon as she didn’t give him what he felt like he was entitled to. I think this would be an interesting piece to write about in that way. The way you always sensed something would be up with him, but you didn’t have enough to prove it, just the feeling. I think that’s just a lot of what being a woman is by default, so I wonder if it could be written about as a potential essay topic. I’m not sure, but interesting to think about!