‘It’s all so woke now’- Aibu to think it really isn’t…

[TheViewFromTheCheapSeats]

Painting my house today, main road, was a soul destroying amount of unwanted male comments. I’m in my forties, wearing jeans and an old band t-shirt with short bobbed hair and quite scruffy. It would’ve been worse I’m sure if I was younger, though I guess it’s hard to tell age from behind
I guess. I really though was not dresser or exposed in any way that anyone could ever claim the comments were ‘invited’.
-various wolf whistles from vans or calls out
-a van of 4 men all together leaning out yelling ‘ooo yes, push, push harder’ as I pushed a few tiles back under or the porch
-‘nice arse!’ As I lean forward on the ladder to reach a window ledge
-a delivery guy (for next door wanting to leave a parcel, no idea where from exclaiming ‘now that’s a suggestive position’ because I was lying on my front to paint under the door step as he walked in (and who then stormed off when I was rather rude back)

It was degrading and I was also laughed at a bit when it prompted me to check my clothes the first time (worried I was being called out because my clothes were ripped on the bum or something). I was so so angry by the end that I couldn’t just, like a man would, paint in peace.

Generally I don’t think in the real world, off social media, there’s many signs that people are feeling remotely constrained by the ‘woke agenda’.

Arseholes haven’t got the woke memo.

Blimey, that's bad. I grew up in the 80s and things on the whole do seem better now, although I had a very fresh delivery man the other day who asked for photo of me with a parcel, then said "c'mon love give me some pout".

Sadly I agree . I’m a professional carpenter and I get all sorts of odd comments. The strangest are the well meaning sort “oo watch yourself with that drill “ when I’m hanging someone’s front door or similar , or being offered hints and tips by men who just assume I’m trying my hand at diy rather than earning a living .

It's woke like I am on a Monday morning before coffee.

YANBU OP.

If you live online, mainly on Twitter, you’d think the world is now super woke, but as a lot of people on Twitter soon find out whether it comes to law, language or elections, to name a few, things haven’t really changed that much at all.

Unfortunately woke doesn't mean not misogynistic. Woke often pushes women down to the bottom rung. Again.

@Kittii

Unfortunately woke doesn't mean not misogynistic. Woke often pushes women down to the bottom rung. Again.

This!

YANBU OP. You should be able to paint your house in peace!

Unfortunately there's a massive percentage of the population (men) who are still stuck in the Stone Age. YANBU

Not everyone's "woke", no, and some who love to virtue-signal can still be vile when they think no-one they know or care about is watching.

I'm mid-40s, but I don't remember ever being wolf-whistled, catcalled, etc. Average-looking, if that makes a difference. Maybe it's down to luck or where one happens to live, or perhaps I've always given off a "resting bitch face" vibe, even back when I was a young woman.

Um, just for a bit of an alternative viewpoint (and OMG OP, I sympathise with your post, having built and painted a fence), but when DH was out there, the comments from young women about him - although not so positive!

Why the hell do people think they have the bloody right?

I'm not sure misogyny is included in "woke".

Pro LGBTQIA (anti homophobia/transphobia) - woke
Anti Racism - woke
Lefty economics - woke
Anti misogyny - eh? what's that now?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the first three causes are not important. They are important. I support them all including calling out lesbophobia, however when a cause is taken up by the "woke" it gets a slight makeover.

I suppose you could get one of those brown overall coats that Ronnie Barker wore in Open All Hours... but it sounds like even that would be too sexy for your onlookers.
That must have been be so annoying to called out to like that. I hate the fact that they think they are so hilarious. The trouble is they still get away with it. Its hard to know whether to ignore (which means they get away with it) or shout back (which means they get a good argument out of it)
I sometimes get comments when I'm trying to do the front garden but they are more along the lines of "about time too"

@Kittii I hear you.

@NotJuryDutyAgain they couldn’t see my face, but I’m happy to share a bitch face too (I offended the delivery guy by telling him to keep his rapey perspectives to himself- I’m not cuddly). I guess from the back though I could be anything from 17 to 70. Just a woman.

That’s what I felt like @DuckbilledSplatterPuff , like I should change into baggy clothes or a sack or something. Not my old painting jeans. Which is sad.

Wokery does not, in my experience, extend to women. At least not those born with vaginas. We are still fair game.

What? a provocative little sack? or those tantalising baggy clothes? I don't think it matters tbh.
Any outlet for their amazing erudite witty comments will do.
I remember wearing a very unremarkable summer dress taking the kids around a theme park back in the day and some hilarious wag quipped "Nice nightie" in a sarcastic voice. It still stings. I thought of a good reply about 2 hours later.

The most "woke" people I know are also the most misogynist. They are also all women. Any chance a man has to abuse a woman with no comeback, he will take it.
Sadly, women are at the bottom of the ladder yet again, I think you're meant to feel "empowered" by this kind of attention and monetise it? Makes me sick.

@HomeSliceKnowsBest

Wokery does not, in my experience, extend to women. At least not those born with vaginas. We are still fair game.

Yep, this. YANBU OP.

Hope you at least managed to get your work done in the end.

@HomeSliceKnowsBest

Wokery does not, in my experience, extend to women. At least not those born with vaginas. We are still fair game.

How dare you acknowledge people born with vaginas exist, that's literal violence, you have killed many with your typeface.

@DukeOfEarlGrey I worked alongside a man today. Completely silent and serene. 🙄

I feel so angry on your behalf OP. Its terrible that this day in age women are still being harrassed. Just the other day I was walking down the highstreet and got harrassed by a group of men. Its intimidating and scary. Think I'm going to start telling them to fuck off but for some reason that makes me angrier! I dont want to be shouting at strangers to leave me alone! I have thought about starting to wear headphones. It wont stop the problem but hopefully it will make me less aware of these idiots.