Just called a ....

[littlebillie]

Walking to a meeting, wrapped up in boots and overcoat a man walked passed me and uttered "you slut". He was mid 50s - I feel sorry for him and the next women he meets on his way today.

What a strange world we live in.

@littlebille happy Monday, lol. I hope you don’t have any further encounters with that nasty man today. On my route I often meet the same people. Louise

Have had this kind of thing happening a few times, generally after 'smile luv' or whatever. If I refuse to be a dancing monkey and make myself look pretty for him, quickly turns to insults. Yet some men STILL claim the reason that men say for women to smile is because they are genuinely concerned and want to cheer the woman up
Because saying 'smile' at someone is definitely likely to actually cheer them up..and of course if it was this, they would say it to other blokes too. I have NEVER seen a bloke randomly told to smile, either by blokes or by women.

In the course of my life, like most/all women and girls, I've been shouted at (sometimes nasty abuse, sometimes sexist catcalling) and barged into on purpose (sometimes painfully) by entirely random men.

I still have no real idea what makes any of them think this is an acceptable way to treat a human being.

All of us. Or at least all I’ve ever spoken with. Not one story, but many.

And for most of us the incidents are just far enough apart that each one is jarring and shockingly new.

OP - that shouldn’t have happened. And NO ONE should have responded to your story with a query about what you were wearing.

Existing in a female body means regular similar interactions. No wonder so many young women try to opt out.

Yet some men STILL claim the reason that men say for women to smile is because they are genuinely concerned and want to cheer the woman up

Yet do not extend this concern to other men.

Strange.

@VickyEadie, yes have had all of those, getting barged into is particularly horrible IMO.

Got barged into on the way to work this morning, some idiot running, with a big dog!

For @Acornriver and @Vixxxy

Ugh I'm sorry this happened to you. This type of thing always seems to happen when you're least prepared for it. Then you end up spending the next few hours thinking up smart arse replies and berating yourself for not saying them at the time. At least I do.

I have NEVER seen a bloke randomly told to smile, either by blokes or by women.

Perhaps as women we should start to go up to any bloke not already smiling like a Cheshire Cat and say "Give us a smile love". I reckon it will piss off most of them...

Once I was told off by a young man who held the door for me (not by my request) for not thanking him profusely enough. I made eye contact and gave the usual little nod but apparently that wasn’t sufficient gratitude for this “gentleman”. He didn’t assault me but where the hell do these assholes get off... unfortunately I was too surprised to say anything and just walked away.

This thread reminds me of that incident when a man pushed a woman into the path of an oncoming bus and luckily the driver swerved in time. There was CCTV footage but I don't think he was ever identified.

Oh yes I remember this - the Putney Bridge jogger. They never found him and have now stopped looking. I thought the CCTV footage was quite clear. Someone must have known who he was.

I really do wish we could send all these arsey men on a rocket into deep space.

What is so annoying is that as a teenager and early 20s woman I got soo much aggression from men, but was too nervous to challenge them. Now I'm older I get almost none and I would never just take it now. I genuinely don't give a shit and am no longer scared. I think they can sense it!
I did tell off two teenage boys who were being revolting on the bus -as in "sit down and show some respect -NOW!" and they were so amazed they did, like little lambs . What got me was that the bus was full of men, who did nothing at all.

Yup I had an incident with a male driver the other day. a truck pulled out infront of me so a stopped to let him carry on, he gave me a wave to say thanks, another truck came behind him and started shouting all sorts of abuse at me from the window. No idea what he thought I had done so just shouted back at him. Absolutely convinced it's because I am a woman. Not the first male driver who has done something like that. Never had a run in with a female driver funnily enough. Some men seem to just hate woman, it's pathetic!

And funnily enough they are always hiding behind a windscreen when they do it, never had a run it with a man on the street.

Badstyley
Good men are too concerned about themselves to stand up and take other men to task.

I have done this in the past and it's a quick way to get into a ruck with an arsehole.

Which gets messy, bloke are "afraid" of this type too because they can be thugish. It's only if your brought up similarly with strong men who can stand their ground and your prepared for a worst case, can fellas start to enact change in other men.

Is tough and you suffer because if it.

Btw I'm a single dad to 2 dds any bloke does something like that to them and I will be squeezing their balls until they cry once I've found the cowards.

"I genuinely don't give a shit and am no longer scared. I think they can sense it! "

I'm 55, and i'm sure that is not why men don't hassle you any more.

btw my way is not the right way I do know that unfortunately

I'm 55, and i'm sure that is not why men don't hassle you any more.
Not sure of your point?
If you think its because I'm not universally.sexually attractive anymore, that might be the reason I don't get grabbed or whatever, but it's not the reason I don't get abuse.
It's no accident that girls under 19 are the prime target for ALL KINDS of harassment from men, not just sexual.they are more timid and therefore more vulnerable.

I don't think timidity comes into it, I really don't . Confident girls will be harassed just as much.

In my experience once I turned about 38 the amount of harassment
I experienced dropped almost over night, and it wasn't because I suddenly started radiating confidence. I think for a lot of men I just wasn't worth bothering with, I became invisible, again nothing to do with confidence.

Nope. I don't agree sorry. For me the random sexual harassment stopped at around 25.
Pls don't misconstrue what I am saying as "being confident can ward off abuse". I just mean that opportunistic predators are attracted to girls who are less likely to respond with equal agression.
They are cowards and will go for the path of least resistance.
I have had other kinds of abuse being older but not that random breast grabbing/saying obscene things kind.
Statistically you are more likely to be assaulted under 19. It's not like you wither on the vine at 20 is it?

It's stuff like this that is why I can never own a gun (even were I disposed to get one). Or a cattle prod.

Because I'd shoot them, and not be sorry.

I'm going to have to slope off and look up assault statistics for both sexes. I have a thought that it's the same for males, but don't want to go off half cocked.

Love a debate BTW

Good plan! I may be wrong ya know, but that's what I have always been told and my experience bears it out. Anyway, I'm off to bed( knackered)