To think that wolf whistling wasn't such a bad thing?

[NovemberMorn]

Joanna Lumley has just given an interview in which she says..."I never minded wolf whistling, I always thought it was tremendous".

She also said... "I think we were a little bit tougher then. Somebody put their hand on your leg, you didn’t feel affronted and report it. You’d give them a slap.”

Do you think she is right?

Also maybe in the 70s women weren't so aware of the depravity of some men. Maybe they heard of some high profile murder cases through the newspapers and rumours that Jim at number 57 hits his wife, but light harassment probably seemed more harmless.

Women are much more clued up on the depths of perversion some men stoop to and how common it is for men to have bed intentions (recent France case for example or the teenage girl in Oldham who was sexually assaulted by FOUR different men who found her in a state if distress)

But why do I want a compliment on how I look from a random stranger? Sure if I’m taking part in Miss Universe that might be appropriate, but if I’m just walking down the road then it’s bloody rude to comment on my appearance, good or bad, verbally or via a whistle. And pretending it’s a simple compliment, with no sexual overtones, is disingenuous - I would bet my house those men weren’t whistling at or complimenting random other men on their physical attributes.

Ah yes. "Handle ourselves in a non threatening way".

In other words... we were taught to smile, placate, fawn and be grateful. We were taught to respond to such attention sweetly.

No one ever explicitly said "or else"... But it was there.

Don't smile quite big enough, get told to stop being miserable or sour.

Don't shout back "thank you" or send a little wave in response to a whistle, get "bitch" yelled at you.

Snatch your leg/hand away too quickly, you're a prude or a lesbian.

I'm sorry, but it is absolute bollocks. No one should be touching anyone without consent and men shouldn't be whistling or yelling at (often underage) girls or women.

Oh no, the poor menz are having to learn to treat us like actual people. What a pity.

We haven't gone anywhere near as far as we need to. The fact that 1 in 4 women are raped or sexually assaulted and the conviction rate is less than 1% tells you everything.

I would far rather men as a whole being terrified to touch anyone as a general rule.

The considerate constructor scheme was brilliant when it came in. Walking to walk was no longer a hellscape.

So women calling out men for objectifying them had driven them to porn abuse?? Cmon, please tell me you're not that ignorant

I like being whistled at but I wear crop tops and dresses and spend alot of time at the gym/money on my appearance. I think it's uncalled for if a woman is dressed normally or jogging though

I didn't say that.
I do think that some men feel so constrained nowadays, they are scared to even look at a woman.

What?? So if a woman is dressed up or works out she's asking for harassment??

Are you for real?

I only wish it were so.

I don't particularly want or need compliments, I just said it doesn't offend me, why would it?

Oh come on, OP. In a way, porn wasn't as prevalent as it is now because we didn't have the Internet* or smartphones in the 70s and 80s and you couldn't beam literally any fetish video to your phone in two clicks. But we did have Page 3 in a variety of tabloid papers, usually of teens with blatant schoolgirl imagery used, most men had or had had at least one girlie mag knocking around, most men had viewed a porn video. Porn is prevalent now because of tech, not because women are humourless or lack gratitude for male attention

No one, no matter what they are wearing, should be whistled or yelled at.

Otherwise it is veering incredibly close to - "Your honour, she was wearing a mini skirt. That clearly means she wanted it".

It is valid you enjoy attention, but this is not the avenue to get it because your happy acceptance of it affects other women.

It's forcibly invading women's spaces while they're going about their daily lives. You will notice me.

Fuck that.

WTAF?

I don't think I've ever been subjected to anything particularly unpleasant in terms of casual harassment but other women have. I'm glad times have changed and it's no longer deemed acceptable.

The vast, vast vast majority of men are not 'scared to look at women' - if you really believe that please ask me about my bridge for sale!

Some men have learnt, have been taught, that women are actual humans and it's not okay to touch them or comment on their bodies without consent. A lot of men and boys have not learned this yet.

Most men are not scared of most women. Many women are scared of most men. Think about that, think why that may be, and then reconsider your stance on catcalling

So you go out to get the whistles and compliments?
In my experience, most women didn't have to try, they were dressed normally, and back in the day women generally didn't walk around in the tight skimpy clothes that many wear now.

I didn't write that thanks, I show off my work out progress because I enjoy the attention and expect to get it. But if you insist then yes I think how much skin you show or what you wear/how you present yourself will mean you get unwanted (in some cases) attention. It's like whining your phone got nicked in a bad area while you had it out, its just reality unless you want to live in an asexual world.

Odd, though, that when men felt free enough to whistle at/compliment a woman, women didn't feel as free to object to it.

If we didn't like it, we put up with it. We didn't actually 'deal with it' at all. We accepted it, resignedly. Because any attempts to actually 'deal with it' made the whole thing worse.

NOW, women are 'dealing with it'. We aren't smiling and waving when that's the last thing we actually WANT to do. We are finally realising we don't have to put up with it.

It might have been fun for the women who got wold whistled and who enjoyed that but it was never fun for those of us who found suddenly having random strangers say "you have attracted my attention as a fuckable being" uncomfortable and at times scary. Nor do the women who think it was all fun seem to have experienced the flip side - men who feel entitled to tell women they are considered fuckable also feel entitled to hurl insults and abuse at those who did not make the grade.
Make me wear hats everywhere and then they can doff them in appreciation like the Edwardian times.

If Joanna Lumley needed approval from sexual predators that says more about her. Ghastly woman.

Point taken.
Re page 3, I do remember being on buses and men would have the pics of Sam Fox and similar spread out hiding their crotch.
I did find that, as a young girl, very uncomfortable.

Diddums.

The solution to that is improved social skills for men, not women putting up with sexual harassment.

To be honest I prefer a wolf whistle to the creepy whistling of tunes some men do, when near or passing a woman, to avoid being called out for wolf whistling.

Joanna Lumley is a misogynist. I can't imagine how desperate for attention you must be to consider street harassment flattering.

Yes, it was pretty rank!