Ladies - Receiving Unwanted "Attention"

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Replies

  • Strong_Savannah
    Strong_Savannah Posts: 28 Member
    dym1 wrote: »
    OP, I see from your profile picture that you are quite pretty.

    So this kind of treatment you are getting is just expected. It is not right but that is how the cookie crumbles. It happens to all pretty women around the world.

    My wife deals with it. She says men roll down windows while jammed in traffic and they whistle or just make kissing faces and all kinds of effery. She gets followed in grocery stores. She is hourglass shaped and she gets comments about her butt. When I am with her, she gets stares. That is just how it is.

    In NYC, women get followed.... and they need to hide in duane reade pretending to shop and take another door out.

    My advice to you... don't run or hike in secluded areas. You never know what happens out there. Be careful.

    So basically, men are dirtbags, women should just deal with it? Why is it always on the woman to control men's behavior? In schools, girls are told what and what not to wear based on how boys could react. Woman are told because they were dressed a certain way it was an invitation to be sexually assaulted. How about men control their own behavior. We don't need some strange dude to tell us we're beautiful, we already know.
    As the article from Runner's World said, the public sphere is still a "male space" -_-
  • Strong_Savannah
    Strong_Savannah Posts: 28 Member
    OP, I see from your profile picture that you are quite pretty.

    So this kind of treatment you are getting is just expected. It is not right but that is how the cookie crumbles. It happens to all pretty women around the world.

    My wife deals with it. She says men roll down windows while jammed in traffic and they whistle or just make kissing faces and all kinds of effery. She gets followed in grocery stores. She is hourglass shaped and she gets comments about her butt. When I am with her, she gets stares. That is just how it is.

    In NYC, women get followed.... and they need to hide in duane reade pretending to shop and take another door out.

    My advice to you... don't run or hike in secluded areas. You never know what happens out there. Be careful.

    I actually prefer more secluded areas, because I know I won't have to deal with anyone else! Just me, and peace and quiet. My favorite place to run is the backroad I grew up on.
    But that is what's unfortunate - this treatment happens more often than not... yet I always seem surprised by it, smh.
    Hide some pocket knives or other self-defence devices in your socks or armband.

    I always feel like this is a bad idea unless you know how to use them. Creep attacks you, you pull knife, creep grabs knife, creep now has knife and you don't... yeah. Not good.

    A properly secluded area should be pretty much free of opportunistic creeps - if you barely see a handful of folks on your day's hike then it isn't a place predators will go looking for trouble. Worst is probably semi secluded areas - busy enough for creeps to get a decent hit rate but not so busy that they have witnesses. Still freaks my mom out when I go camping/hiking on my own, but it's my life and I'm not letting what-ifs and creeps prevent me from doing things I enjoy.

    I know what to expect in secluded areas, and know when something "doesn't feel right" or hear noises that are out of the ordinary. But, around town, it's more unpredictable.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    edited August 2017
    Yuck. Very scary. I would either carry Mace/pepper spray or I would use a treadmill, myself. You shouldn't have to do that of course, I would just view it as the lesser of the evils in my own case because some of these scumbags are dangerous.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    .... and have a loud whistle on a chain around your neck, too. If they see the mace in your hand and the whistle they should at least hesitate to try and grab you. My mom has had to mace several would-be muggers.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    OP, I see from your profile picture that you are quite pretty.

    So this kind of treatment you are getting is just expected. It is not right but that is how the cookie crumbles. It happens to all pretty women around the world.

    My wife deals with it. She says men roll down windows while jammed in traffic and they whistle or just make kissing faces and all kinds of effery. She gets followed in grocery stores. She is hourglass shaped and she gets comments about her butt. When I am with her, she gets stares. That is just how it is.

    In NYC, women get followed.... and they need to hide in duane reade pretending to shop and take another door out.

    My advice to you... don't run or hike in secluded areas. You never know what happens out there. Be careful.

    I actually prefer more secluded areas, because I know I won't have to deal with anyone else! Just me, and peace and quiet. My favorite place to run is the backroad I grew up on.
    But that is what's unfortunate - this treatment happens more often than not... yet I always seem surprised by it, smh.
    Hide some pocket knives or other self-defence devices in your socks or armband.

    I'm not worried about defending myself. If that was the case, I'd carry my pistol.

    I don't run much anymore, but when I did I used this holster and was able to run just fine with it: https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Armor-Holster-Revolvers-23-29-Inch/dp/B00CI2B1HE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503432138&sr=8-1&keywords=Belly+Band+Concealment+Holster+23"+-+29"+waist&th=1&psc=1
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Zuzurillo wrote: »
    I have found a somewhat aggressive ( direct, a little louder than normal, neutral in emotion, a more formal address rather than just a "hey" or "what's up" etc...) "HELLO!" or "GOOD MORNING" etc... with direct eye contact is off putting for men. If you can get the jump on them and take away they're predatory drive ( you're not "prey" if you acknowledge them first) it takes away their power. They don't realize this, of course, they are just kind of in shock and say a quiet "Hi" back as you run or bike by at your most powerful speed and perfect form. Puff up, Be aggressive - and you'll beat them at their own game.

    This is really interesting.
    I suspect it might work......The men who do this kind of thing are bullies, after all.
  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
    Ehh... Some guys are just jerks.
    The guy mentioned by the OP who started running side by side with her is just a jerk, and you shouldn't have to tolerate that

    I think generally speaking, women like to feel admired, but not always, and not by everyone. So does a guy air on the side of caution and just keep his thoughts to himself, mmm that's probably best imo.

    As for what you should do in this type of case... I wish I could just say to pepper spray him lol...
  • RogueRunner_1
    RogueRunner_1 Posts: 32 Member
    I just smile and let them know they're number 1 (:
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    edited August 2017
    Sorry, that's terrible. Everyone deserves to not be harassed.
    But, since I'm learning here, what is the appropriate way to give a compliment or break the ice? Is there one?

    How about not complimenting, how about just talking about neutral subjects? Or at least subjects that don't involve how someone looks or your attraction to them.

    I mean, c'mon, we're talking about interrupting someone who is obviously out for a run or something not-related-to-looking-for-company.

    Compliments are personal and are appropriate after you've been talking to someone for a while. Not strangers.

    So, short answer is that there is no way to break the ice unless you see them regularly. Sounds lonely and boring, but I think I got it.

    P.S. - I think we all agree that it's never acceptable to interrupt someone during a workout. Headphones are a clear "Do not disturb" sign. SHAME!

    Unfortunately headphones make a person even more vulnerable because they can't hear someone coming up behind them.

    Just assume that the woman who is running or cycling has a partner and group of friends already, and isn't interested in adding to that group ... and that the woman isn't lonely or bored.

  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    Wow, this thread is eye opening to me. I'm 42 and have NEVER experienced anything remotely like these stories. I don't know if it's because I have resting B face, if it's because I politely smile and nod at everyone I pass if I'm exercising outdoors, if it's because I'm self-confident in my ability to defend myself or if it's just that I'm built like a 12 year old boy, but I never get hit on, cat called or any of the other worse aggressions some of you have faced. I can't imagine it. Especially @cmriverside! That's crazy!!!! You should not have to put up with that.

    @Chef_Barbell - the chicken! LOL That's hilarious. Completely strange and inappropriate, but still funny.

    But this thread does make me kind of sad that some people still find this type of behavior acceptable. :(
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
    I'm mainly pissed when a guy, or anyone, tries to talk to me during my workout. Like last night, I had my head phones in and picked up a 30 lb dumbbell because I was about to do my second set of goblet squats when a guy tried to tell me something. He pointed down at an ab roller so I assume he said something about his workout. Then I put the weight down, took out my headphones, and he then said he liked me hat?? I smiled, said thanks, and put my headphones back in.

    I had plenty of "DO NOT BOTHER ME" signs (hat, headphones, the ring on my finger for those interesting in anything other than small convo, and my resting B face). So I just don't get it.
  • Strong_Savannah
    Strong_Savannah Posts: 28 Member
    Keira08 wrote: »
    This happens way more often than it should to me, only when running outside. I must have perpetual resting b-face as I never get hit on or checked out in 'normal' life (that I notice), only ever when running so it has literally nothing to do with how you carry yourself. It's harassment, simple. I once had a lit cigarette thrown at me while I was out running.
    I don't know what these peoples problem is but its exactly that, their problem and not yours. You keep doing you, run in public places, keep moving and try to ignore them
    Having a lit cigarette thrown at you is absolutely awful! That is blatant harassment and disrespect, no way around it - one person treating another like trash.
    There is only one time that I can recall being yelled at during 'normal' life (not exercising). I was parked downtown on the "main" busy street, alone, and struggling to fit a box of full beer growlers on the floor of my backseat. Naturally, I was bent-over. The entire time I am struggling, I repeatedly hear, "Dat *kitten*, look at dat *kitten*!" I wanted so badly to whip around and yell at him that he clearly was able to lend me a hand with the beer if he had time to yell and stare at me. But, I decided not to give him any satisfaction of my acknowledging him in any way. I guess because I was alone and struggling, I was vulnerable/"prey" in his eyes.
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