To get wound up by random men making stupid, rude comments when I’m visibly struggling in public?

I think the worst I had was my car breaking down. I pulled onto the side as much as I could, and was on a retail park so wasn’t blocking anything important
the beeps and names I got called. Stupid fucking bitch was the nicest

and I was in ambulance uniform
I obviously wasn’t standing there for the good of my health. Ended up sitting in the car with my head down and music on so I couldn’t hear the abuse

I wouldn't term it "unreasonable," but this seems to be like more of the AIBU melodrama of women getting all worked up over things they should shrug off.

I’ve recently retired and DH and I have started attending the local pool weekly. I’ve noticed men randomly chat to women while they’re in the pool, never to other men. One woman recently told one to go away and he’s gone off and told her she was rude and he was only being friendly. My DH looked at me like ‘she was a bit rude’ - I then had the convo with him about random unwanted comments always from men to women, who are supposed to be polite etc. And that I would have responded the same as her. I then pointed out to him all the men who were checking out the women in the pool - one bloke would have needed a neck brace when he got home as his head was just about swivelling 360°!
My DH said he’d never noticed it before, but now can’t unsee it and is shocked at how prevalent it is - and that these men aren’t chatting to each other. And the thing is that the pool we use is designed for rehab, so mostly used by people 50+.
It pisses me off that you feel vulnerable wearing only swimwear, with random men thinking you should be appreciative of their inane comments.

most recent experiences of this

• Wolf whistling whilst I'm walking my 9MO in the buggy. Reallllly?
• taking my dog for his morning walk, "has no one told you? Dogs are like women, they do what the bloody hell they want"

Well reporting comments worked, his comments have been deleted 😆

Trolls are so shite these days. Time was they were capable of being subtle or funny but it seems to be a lost art now. They're just low effort and derivative.

Oh it was worse, much worse in the 70s.

I have a heap of kids and people men and women make really crass and rude comments. Or talk about me like Im not even there.lol I just don't even acknowledge it anymore. I also have a down syndrome bub and I had a few ask what is wrong with your baby. I simply turn and say nothing she is perfect.lol The look on their faces. Honestly just ignore stupid comments.

But that young woman did have a sense of humour, wouldn't you say? Far far more so than the man who harassed her!

Yes, he probably did, the utter fucking creep.

My job literally involves being outside painting words on things.

There is one type of person that feels the need to comment "you've spelt that wrong love"- only and exclusively one type. Any guesses?

(For what it's worth, I'm told they also say it to my male counterparts)

My go to response is a blank stare.

Alanis, you're up

I don't believe you

I know, it was funny till then. Sigh.

No, I think it’s demonstrated what someone said about 3 posts in: “There are some men who literally say anything that comes into their heads. Limited is what they are.”

Most of the stupid that random men say to women would never be said to men because they know thst a man might just punch them.

The menz finding this thread has dulled the sheen. O, the irony.

The other evening I was on my way out of town after a theatre thing I'd gone to on my own. The buses back to park and ride (where I'd left my car) were extremely infrequent by that time of the evening and I was almost sure I'd just missed one as I walked briskly to my stop - then it suddenly turned out of the side road ahead of me. I legged it because I didn't want to spent 45 minutes on my own at 10.30 waiting for the next one. Passed two middle-aged/elderly men who both shouted something witty about how fast I was going and whether I'd catch it. I was pretty desperate by then and just shouted over my shoulder 'oh fuck OFF!!'

It occurred to me that they might just have been bewildered by that. Maybe they thought they were being friendly, or encouraging, or helpful. Then I caught onto myself and thought, NO. It's never a woman is it? It is ALWAYS THE MEN. Sod 'em. Keep it inside your head, mate.

There's only one bloke I like on Mumsnet. I'm not saying who because he might get big headed. The rest are knobheads. But it's okay, because they'll all think it's them anyway.

Shopping today in a supermarket. Let DS sit in the trolly as too big for the seat and too lazy to walk.

Went to pay and this man stops and says “how much is he?” Gesturing at DS. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear and asked him to repeat it, which he did with a loud laugh.

Sigh.

Is it a funny comment? Am I fucking miserable? Or just fed up of random strangers men interrupting me/my life with stupid pointless comments.

Looks like a bloke has turned up to crash the party. 🙄

There's some nice blokes who are regulars on Mumsnet, although I haven't seen some of them post in a while. They just get on with it and don't come on here to tell women off for having opinions and things.

“Show us yer tits” isn’t funny. Do you have a daughter. I do and she once said to a man who made comments to her “you know I’m only 14 right?”

Completely agree OP. Years ago I was in my village waiting to cross the road. A man in a car stopped to let me cross but took the opportunity to put his window down and say "someone might have let you cross sooner if you'd smiled." Um what? Stand there smiling waiting to cross the road? Smile at what exactly?

Good thread. What's the point of them? They should be banned from Mumsnet as well.