To feel worried for this womans saferty and wonder why she isnt?

[girlfriend44]

Looking out the window in the middle of the night was a woman walking down the road in shorts and alone.

I was wondering why she dosent feel scared, I would?

Yes she should be able too. Yes it dosent matter what she was wearing, but really would you want your daughter to do that? I wouldnt and wouldnt do it myself.

I wonder if some people dont listen to the news and why they arent scared that they will be attacked or abused walking along in the early hours. Do they think it wont happen to them?

We all know what some men are like, its on here often enough?
Remember that I do know women should be able too and it dosent matter if she was wearing a bag on her head, clothing has nothing to do with it really? but you just have to wonder why?

Was she brave or silly and would you have felt worried for her?

I think you may have some exaggerated or excessive worrying going on. Kindly - just keep an eye on your mental health for the time being.

On a quiet street walking in the middle of the road is the sensible thing to do.

It comes across perfectly well, and I concur.

Most of us are aware of potential risk, weight it up and live our lives normally which includes walking outside after dark. Even in shorts...

We all know what some men are like, its on here often enough?
People don't go on MN to write about normal happy lives (some tried lol, thoughts and prayers).

Amen

Just writing this to check out the edit button

Oooo it works!

She may have had no choice.

Of course I walk alone at night if I've got somewhere to be.

I refuse to restrict my life because there are some arseholes out there, that would be so miserable.

I agree.

I grew up in south London, still live here, and I couldn't possibly live my life under the conditions the OP is describing. Either to do a full time job (how would I get to and from the office in the winter?!) or have any form of social life. I'm out for drinks with a friend in town tonight, it will be dark when I get home. It hasn't occurred to me to be worried about this? It's a journey I do regularly and I have been getting myself from a to b for the past 25 years.

I think it's you rather than her, OP.

It's summer and it is warm. She wore shorts. She was going somewhere. And ?

and I am testing edit too

yes possibly, it was 3.30am.

If you carry on with that train of thinking you’ll drive yourself insane!

The woman was doing nothing wrong, and I’ll walk where I want when I want, you actually sound quite paranoid.

It's warm at the moment. Most people here are wearing shorts 🤔

I wonder if some people dont listen to the news and why they arent scared that they will be attacked or abused walking along in the early hours. Do they think it wont happen to them?

Because despite the news the vast, vast majority of women will walk down the street in the early hours and be absolutely fine.
I'm yet to see any evidence that says you are more likely to be raped in shorts over joggers, if anything the evidence suggests most women are sexually assaulted by men known to them. Random attacks by strangers are actually very rare.

Statistically you’re more likely to be attacked/murdered by someone you know aren’t you? She was probably safer outside.

I make my own way home at night in whatever I was wearing for the day/evening, often.

The alternative is to always be home before dark! I feel much safer alone than in a minicab or having someone I don't know we'll walk me home.

Maybe there's a small risk, but there are all sorts of risks in life and I prefer to live it.

You sound like you live in fear, it's no way to live.

We don't live in Taliban occupied Afghanistan. This woman is neither stupid or insane. She's just a human adult walking along a road, as is her right. Normalising covering up and staying indoors to stay safe makes women LESS safe, not more so.

Yup - this is what Cheryl Strayed wrote about in Wild, it really resonated with me when I read it.

And so many of the attacks we DO read about don't happen at 3am, they happen in the early evening when women are on their way out etc.

There was a brief spate of muggings on a pedestrianised bit near our house a few years ago - bt the targets were people walking home from the train station on their way home from work. They all happened between 17:30-1930.

Where I am in Central London there are women walking about at all hours wearing whatever the fuck they want. Maybe you should stop looking out of the window.

Curious what the alternative is here OP for a woman wanting to get home? Only travel with others? Cover herself up? Don't go out after dark? Like PP said, it's all sounding a little Taliban-esque

I'm perfectly happy to walk by myself late at night. I don't think it is particularly dangerous. I think driving a car on a busy A road is probably more dangerous. I'm happy to do both in order to get on with my life. There are areas where it is not a good idea to walk I suppose, but it does depend where you are.

You don't even know that she doesn't worry about her safety. She might just have no other options.

But I'm in the 'you're bonkers' camp, if there aren't any specific risks you can point to. You're actually very bad at assessing risks if you can't point to any specific factors that alter the risk.

"Nowhere is completely safe" isn't a risk assessment at all. Being able to differentiate between different places and activities is risk assessing. And sometimes you still go ahead.

What an odd post. A person going from A to B. Everything has a risk - but we only hear about the tiny % of bad things on the news.