To wonder why girls put "taken" in their social media bios

[Verycold]

It sounds awful... So passive and just

Or you think its a relationship but the man doesn't .

I've never seen this.

But I imagine it is to deter unwanted advances from the kind of men who don't take "I'm not interested" for am answer. The kind who can respect another man's claim more than they can respect a woman's right to her own opinion.

www.eberhardtsmith.com/writing/stop-saying-i-have-a-boyfriend

There are some who say that women should stop doing this, because it reinforces the "if I were single then it would be OK for you to act that way" implications.

But I can see that if you are being harassed and you know a way to make someone go away, you would use it even if it's not the best thing for women everywhere, because it is the best thing for you right now.

I'm not sure the 14 year olds who post "it's complicated" on my teens social media pages are thinking along those lines Trills

Trills that's basically what I said to Lally up thread. I agree. How about "I'm not interested" as a starter and anyone who persists is fair game for chinning.

"Fair game for chinning" :o

I've never used the term 'taken', but I do mention my DH on some social media sites because it does decrease the amount of unwanted correspondence from pervy weirdos. It's very annoying and depressing that it works that way but, as mentioned upthread, some men won't care about hassling a woman who isn't interested, but will respect another man's 'property'.

MrsWinnibago I was 18 and he was drunk and old enough probably to be my father. I tried several times to let him know gently that I was 'taken' or 'spoken for' or 'otherwise engaged' because it was probably dutch courage and not what he was like in real life and sober. I didn't want to say "fuck off you fat balding old git my father is younger than you!" but he did persist and pung my thong (again I stress I was 18) against my cheek so he did indeed encounter some physical recompense and I think it was fair game. Nowadays I'm much more likely to react badly quicker and my underwear choice is considerably larger.

I did it when I was younger because I didn't want other people flirting with me. Which they did anyway. Then I learned there was a block button. Problem solved.