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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Men whistling loudly

220 replies

BlueSpotty · 06/03/2020 11:43

Does anyone else get fed up with men that whistle loudly and tunelessly in public? It's so rude! And before anyone says that women do it too, I can't say I've ever noticed a woman doing it!

I was just browsing in a small shop. A man came in, whistling extremely loudly, which was annoying in itself but then he came and stood right next to me and started browsing there and whistling right in my ear!

After a couple of minutes I said, politely 'Can you stop whistling in my ear please?'. He looked so shocked, as if it was the most shocking thing anyone had ever said to him, then just said 'How bloody rude!' and gave me a filthy look.

I carried on looking for a few minutes and he did stop whistling but kept giving me dirty looks until I left the shop.

OP posts:
LuxLuxLux84 · 06/03/2020 18:24

I HATE this. It makes me feel very imposed upon and angry. I had a new boss who would walk around whistling and it was a major factor in my leaving the job. Yes it was a male boss.

Goosefoot · 06/03/2020 20:17

I whistle sometimes though I more often hum - I'm a woman FWIW.

If fewer women whistle it might be because it used to be considered unladylike. My Nana used to tell me "A whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither good to God nor men." She also used to tell me that if I drank beer right out of the bottle I would not find a husband.

I do know more male loud sneezers, but more women who sneeze like cats.

Goosefoot · 06/03/2020 20:18

I am sure the cat sneezers do it to piss me off and drive me out of the room.

PennyGold · 06/03/2020 20:23

Drives. Me. Insane.
Always men, and always older. I'm so glad you said something to him! He's the rude one.

Her0utdoors · 06/03/2020 20:30

"Canary seed for breakfast again Antony?" silenced my workplace whistler very quickly. My god that was such a relief.
I work alone now and I have a feeling that I inadvertently whistle as the dog pokes her snout round my workshop door a few times a day and looks expectantly at me, so I guess I must have been whistling.

deydododatdodontdeydo · 07/03/2020 07:49

There's something seedy about whistling too when it's done by a man with a woman in close proximity, like they're whispering something in your ear.

That, and along with walking along proverbially peeing up your leg to mark territory Grin

Whistling might be annoying, but this thread is hilarious.

madcatladyforever · 07/03/2020 07:59

I CAN'T. STAND. IT.
We get whistlers all over the hospital I work in. One of them was doing it loudly outside the room of someone who was dying and needed peace.
I went out and tore him off a strip and he just looked at me with astonishment as if I had just asked him to jump out of a window. Idiot.

HorseWithNoLang · 07/03/2020 09:08

Lol you snowflakes!

Lol you master of wit and repartee!

borntobequiet · 07/03/2020 09:20

I rather miss the days when whistling was commonplace and the surprising number of men who could whistle tunefully. I knew a couple of women who whistled too. Not me though, I’m not musical at all.
Rather surprised that so many get wound up by it.

deydododatdodontdeydo · 07/03/2020 09:23

I said previously I'd never encountered it, but I have a vague memory of a postman doing it years ago.
Entitled bastard.

LadyRochfordsHoickedGusset · 07/03/2020 09:27

The menz replacing wolf-whistling with a more subtle whistling when they notice a woman is definitely a thing.

Antibles · 07/03/2020 10:17

"Canary seed for breakfast again Antony?" Grin Grin Brilliant.

Antibles · 07/03/2020 10:19

"A whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither good to God nor men."

I think that back up the idea that women shouldn't draw attention to themselves in public or try to own the space - but it's fine and right for men to do so.

1984isnow · 07/03/2020 10:28

Does anyone know any female loud sneezers?

My nan. She does this shrieky 'awwuchshaaaaa', and never sneezes just once. Always 4 or 5 times, with exaggerated gasping for breath in between each one.

I love her, but honestly I could go nc when she sneezes.

Polly99 · 07/03/2020 10:33

Hahaha, I'm with you OP. I went on a massive rant to one of my colleagues about whistling men (like nails down a chalk board!) and how entitled you must have to be to think the whole world wants to hear that awful noise and it is only men that do it. We were on a train, so whistlers were most unwelcome. Then a whistling woman got on! But I swear she is the only one i have ever seen.

As for performance sneezers, again, I think this is purely a man thing too.

I thought I was bringing up my daughters to not be confined by gender constraints, but now as I note that neither is a whistler or a performance sneezer I realise I must have failed. Still, they are 13 and 10 so there is still time...

Antibles · 07/03/2020 10:43

I do know one loud female sneezer but now I think about it, I've only ever heard her be that loud in the house.

Whatisthisfuckery · 07/03/2020 10:59

We used to have a man go round our local Tesco playing a harmonica. He was quite good at it, he’d had plenty of practice I suppose playing all round the shops, but it did annoy the shit out of me.

I tend to sing a lot though so I guess I might be equally as annoying to other people. I used to stop myself singing to the music in shops but then one day in Wilko I stopped myself only to hear another woman singing just down the aisle, so I just get on with it now. I like singing, so...

Whistling, well it depends I guess. Sometimes it’s just someone whistling a tune, I think it was more common years ago, but the noisy, aimless ostentatious whistling that goes with the puffed up ‘this is my space’ attitude does make me a bit stabby. I think it just depends on the vibes and the body language as to whether I want to shank them or not.

aliasundercover · 07/03/2020 11:09

I’m not bothered by men whistling, I just came here to compliment @Whatisthisfuckery on her username. Good work.

NotDavidTennant · 07/03/2020 11:26

you are drawing attention to yourself and feeling entitled to do so

Everyone is entitled to draw attention to themselves in a public space if they so wish.

I think the issue is that, for obvious reasons, women are often wary of drawing attention to themselves in public, and the whistling men are a very obvious illustration of the fact that men don't have the same concerns, and can absent-mindedly whistle to themselves without worrying about what attention they might attract.

Onmyright · 07/03/2020 11:32

Yes it definitely annoys the hell out of me and has done for ages. I used to get a bus with a whistling man and it gave me the rage. Mostly because he seemed so selfsatisfied looking around to see who was enjoying the racket. Then my DH started to do this awful tuneless whistling thing without realising it. I had to keep telling him to stop and he did try. Unfortunately he did it at a very somber religious occasion and his friend had to tell him off. Thankfully he has finally stopped.

DidoLamenting · 07/03/2020 11:34

I think many of the posts on here are the reason feminism gets a bad name / not taken seriously.

Thisismytimetoshine · 07/03/2020 11:37

Whistling at a sombre religious occasion is just plain rude and disrespectful. It’s in no way comparable to whistling in the street Confused

SunshineAvenue · 07/03/2020 11:40

Oh come the fuck on 🙄 with the territory bollocks. I'm very much a feminist but this takes the biscuit.

What next? A man in your line of vision is 'invading your space'?

Also I'm a loud sneezer AND (gasp) a woman!

MillicentMargaretAmanda · 07/03/2020 12:04

I'm what some of you would apparently consider 'a performance sneezer'. I have allergies so often sneeze a lot, multiple times. I get it's annoying. I take a 1 a day antihistimaine which helps but doesn't stop. I could take 3 a day ones but then I'd just be asleep.
So I apologise to anyone who finds it annoying. But do you know what's even more annoying than hearing a performance sneezer? Being the poor sod doing the sneezing. It's no fun.

koshkatt · 07/03/2020 13:20

I whistle and hum and also sing to myself a lot. I didn't really realise that people hated it so much. I am a woman btw.

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