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?

My favourite post in the whole thread, thank you. ❤

A while ago (Sorry, Joanna Lumley again) received loads of stick because she said that women should learn to look after themselves more when they were out, to safeguard themselves from predators.

She wasn't victim blaming, everyone knows a woman should be able to walk/go anywhere she wants wearing anything she chooses, but the facts are, if a woman takes precautions, like your daughters do, they are less likely to be intimidated or God forbid, attacked.

Most men I know manage fine. Why would they be scared to look at a woman? What do they think will happen? Is it worse than teenagers being scared to walk past a building site? Which definitely used to be the case, not sure if it still is

At what age should girls and women start protecting themselves from perverts and predators? Aged 10?

The point is the narrative needs to change to “men: stop harassing women”. But whenever we try people, including women, lose their shit and start boo-hooing about not all men

I can't tell if you are taking the piss, I really can't.

So, you've gone from wolf whistling is a compliment, to women are responsible for protecting themselves from violence and assault, because Joanna fucking Lumley says so.

Haha I think you missed the point of that post completely

Creepy weirdos are scared to look at women because they know they have nefarious thoughts and intentions. Luckily I know mostly good men but if any said “I can’t even LOOK at women these days” I’d avoid him like the plague as I’d assume he was doing something far more than looking if he’s so worried

Also, women and girls walking to school or down the street or in the supermarket or at work aren’t at a fucking disco, they don’t want to be leered at

I don't want to 'educate' women to 'look after themselves'. I want to educate men not to do it. I am sure men can manage not to wolf whistle without having an attack of the vapours because it's not deemed appropriate.

That's the problem, right there. All the 'education' was aimed at women. How to avoid it, what not to wear to reduce it happening, how not to be 'oversensitive' when it did happen.

Apparently, men and boys are so fragile, they fall apart at any suggestion that they could see a woman walk past and just, you know, ignore her.

Oh yes it was fantastic being wolf whistled as a 14yo child by fully grown men 🙄

It's difficult to say if male behaviour has improved because I'm not a teenage girl/20 something any more.

Are you gonna give us a magical age OP where girls go from being victims to being someone who should appreciate the compliment?

You say it’s not 11 - so is it 12??

Thinking about I stopped getting wolf whistled at maybe age 20/21 (after having a good 10 years of it being a regular occurrence) when I looked my absolute peak best - is it because times had changed or is it because it’s something that largely happens to school girls ?

Probably, men do get emboldened when they think they are anonomous and will have no consequences.

What makes you think women aren't taking these precautions?

Is it because they are saying they don't want to be wolf whistled at.

Surely saying they don't want to be harrased is precaution number 1.

Yep, it definitely happened far more to me as a child than it did as an adult.

NB
this shit all starts with little boys watching stuff on tv unsupervised and progresses to internet crap
we need to be better mothers to boys ,
I’ve just been out for lunch, 3 children under 5 watching stuff on iPads phones etc .
it starts with parents being present!!!!
ffs

How sad is that 😔

My DD is 11 (who I do worry about because she’s gorgeous and looks older than her years) and I’ve asked her about this, she’s never been wolf whistled at but she says she gets funny feelings when she walks past some men sometimes.

I think @NovemberMorn is actually saying women must get harassed and then they must try to protect themselves.
Otherwise his posts don't make sense.

Why is it on women? Surely it’s up to dads to set a good example to their boys?

I admire your ridiculous reach to blame predatory men on mums who let kids watch iPads in restaurants though. How do you explain the predators who pre-date iPads then??

@NovemberMorn

I don't know whether you are a father or if you have any DD's but I suspect you don't because some men only see things differently when it directly affects them.

Yes. A builder wolf whistling or yelling out obscenities is protected by anonymity.

You like this sort of thing, that's fine.

Many of us do not. Why should we have to put up with it?

It's got nothing to do with spending a lot of money on what you look like, it's everything to do with some men's feelings of entitlement to catcall and harass women.

Sorry, but when your rights to this impinge on other women's rights not to have this foisted on us then yes, we'll be vocal. You are not protecting or advocating for any women with that mindset so please don't believe for a minute that you are.

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

I'm really not understanding what this has to do with toughness.

Not at all.
I am just a bit surprised to think that a wolf whistle causes so much outrage in this modern women.
Now it's not considered correct behaviour (fair enough) but women obviously still do get harassed just in different ways, so it's in their own interest that they have some tools to handle it...which would begin in education.

Of course boys should be educated too, it goes without saying, if boys/young men/adults, stopped harassing women, there would not be a problem.

To add, presumably you've read the thread and have seen posts from many women who were wolf-whistled at as children, in school uniform. Those were paodophiles.

They are the same sort of knuckle-dragging, excuses for men who do this to women - any woman. It really doesn't matter what she looks like, sorry to shatter any illusions here. I'm sure you look great but if you didn't, that sort of man would still harass you. Or your daughter. Or any female in view.

That is what so many of us are disgusted with and that's why we will not put up with wolf-whistling and being subjected to disgusting, lewd comments.

Of course boys should be educated too, it goes without saying, if boys/young men/adults, stopped harassing women, there would not be a problem.

The point has literally smacked you in the face and you've still missed it.