VENT: I am NOT a piece of meat!

emily_325

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I know every woman out there can relate. I was walking home from work just now, which I can do because my apartment is only a little under a mile away. I'm tired, hungry, and a little crabby. All I wanted to do was get home and clean up my apartment and spend time with Anya before hubby gets home.

So I'm standing on the street corner waiting for the crossing light to turn when this truck full of men stopped at the red light starts whooping, hollering, staring, and pounding on their truck. No woman wants this. It's demeaning and frankly makes a girl pretty darn uncomfortable. Is a girl supposed to just stand there and take it? NO! So I lifted a middle finger and gave them what my mother affectionately calls the "California Howdy".

Didn't phase them. They whooped and hollered even louder.


And THEN a DIFFERENT truck of men drove by me making kissy noises and yelling when I got further down the street.

It's not like I was dressed in a way that was eliciting it or anything. I wear jeans, flip flops and t-shirts to work. No make-up, and hair in a ponytail.


Anyway, just needed to vent. I hate being treated that way. How would men like that feel if we did the same thing to them?! Grrrrr.
 

satai

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It's awful. I'm so sorry. I always hate it when it happens.

I always ignore it though - though I didn't always in the past. I find that helps me. It reminds me that while they might not treat me like one, I am a lady, and a lady would never acknowledge them.

I try to imagine what Lady Sybil in the Terry Prachett Discworld books would do. If you don't know who she is, but would like to try it, pick your own favourite ladylike heroine for inspiration.
 

rachelh1018

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Sorry to hear that. It feels sooo uncomfortable. The other day I was walking through an alley to get to work (I work downtown) a bunch of construction men started whistling and making comments. I felt scared and violated. I just wanted to run, but I had on heels and I couldn't.
 
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emily_325

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Originally Posted by rachelh1018

Sorry to hear that. It feels sooo uncomfortable. The other day I was walking through an alley to get to work (I work downtown) a bunch of construction men started whistling and making comments. I felt scared and violated. I just wanted to run, but I had on heels and I couldn't.
I was on a busy street corner so I was just more uncomfortable and angry, but I've been scared too. That sucks.

Originally Posted by Satai

It's awful. I'm so sorry. I always hate it when it happens.

I always ignore it though - though I didn't always in the past. I find that helps me. It reminds me that while they might not treat me like one, I am a lady, and a lady would never acknowledge them.

I try to imagine what Lady Sybil in the Terry Prachett Discworld books would do. If you don't know who she is, but would like to try it, pick your own favourite ladylike heroine for inspiration.
I thought about ignoring them, and while flipping them off was not one of my finer moments, I was just so MAD! That picking a heroine for inspiration idea isn't half bad by the way. But I would probably just pick someone saucy and not so ladylike!


Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Whats worse is I work with a load of them
the number of times they have come back talking about some girl they were oogling and got a mouthful from me!
Thanks for trying to teach them that its not exactly proper etiquette.
 

icklemiss21

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My first week working there I took down all their nudie pics freom the lunch room too, they hated me


Funny thing, as much as our workers (construction) like to whistle at girls, one knew how to shut them up, she went right up and pinched his bum and called him cutie, and proceeded to tell him how she works with his wife, he hasn't said boo to a girl walking past since!
 

h~chan

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I can't stand people like that.. especially when I'm not in too great of a mood!
 

lilleah

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Well this is strange.
I'd sure as heck take it as a compliment. Especially in Los Angeles. Wow.
I must be different.

Because I Love it when guy oogle at me. It's awesome..
Although I would like to send you some venting vibes your way...But really..They think you're hot..and you probably are, so take it as that.
Some guys are just pigs..and that's all. Hot women are on thier Radar..and they can't shut it off.
I actually read today, that a man falls in "Lust" at least 3 times a day. It's a guy thing or something.
 

satai

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Originally Posted by emily_325

I was on a busy street corner so I was just more uncomfortable and angry, but I've been scared too. That sucks.
Me too. That's so awful.

Originally Posted by emily_325

I thought about ignoring them, and while flipping them off was not one of my finer moments, I was just so MAD! That picking a heroine for inspiration idea isn't half bad by the way. But I would probably just pick someone saucy and not so ladylike!
Well, I have different heroines for different sitatuations - though Lady Sybil is pretty versatile - you only need a lady like role model for moments when you need to remember to be a lady - your role models can be saucy the rest of the time.
 
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emily_325

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Originally Posted by icklemiss21

My first week working there I took down all their nudie pics freom the lunch room too, they hated me


Funny thing, as much as our workers (construction) like to whistle at girls, one knew how to shut them up, she went right up and pinched his bum and called him cutie, and proceeded to tell him how she works with his wife, he hasn't said boo to a girl walking past since!
That's awesome.


Originally Posted by lilleah

Well this is strange.
I'd sure as heck take it as a compliment. Especially in Los Angeles. Wow.
I must be different.

Because I Love it when guy oogle at me. It's awesome..
Although I would like to send you some venting vibes your way...But really..They think you're hot..and you probably are, so take it as that.
Some guys are just pigs..and that's all. Hot women are on thier Radar..and they can't shut it off.
I actually read today, that a man falls in "Lust" at least 3 times a day. It's a guy thing or something.
Both trucks were sweaty, grimy, and not at all attractive construction workers. I work for an architect, so I deal with construction workers a lot and know that they feel the urge to live up to their reputation, but GEEZ!

And these men would have hollered at any woman standing there, supermodel body or not... but thanks for making me feel a little better about it.


And I guess in my opinion there's a difference between a man noticing me or showing me that he thinks I'm attractive and acting like a sex crazed loon. I don't tolerate the latter well.
 

marie-p

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Don't even get me started on stupid men objectifying women like that.


Worst I've had so far was walking in the street wearing a tanktop and shorts and some guy walked by, said "HEEELLLLOOOO" but obviously wasn't talking to ME cause he never raised his eyes above my breasts.

Yes, the tank top was a little revealing, but still didn't give him the right to treat me like that. I wish I would have thought faster and had a nice comeback for him, but instead I just felt humiliated.

As far as how to respond to them... unless you can find a really good comeback to shut them up, I'd say do whatever you feel like. I don't think either ignoring them or flipping them off will make them stop... so do whichever option you like best.
Personally, I'd go for the flipping them off option, but then again, I'm not very lady-like
 

emrldsky

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Nuh uh...might give me away!
When I first came to college, I was walking by a dorm with a male friend of mine. As I progressed down the sidewalk, I started hearing hooting, hollering, and whistling. Thinking that some girl was wearing a bikini, I looked around. Nope, just me and my male friend.

The further down we walked, the LOUDER it got. It was the guys' side of the dorm.

Months later I was dating a guy that actually lived there and I found out that it was not only his floor, but the guys were going from one room, down to the next, down to the next, until I got past the dorm when most of them were in the very last room. He swore that he was one of the few that didn't participate.


Oh, and also my freshman year of college, the Sunday morning before classes started, my entire dorm (all girls) was woken up by the sound of bass (music blaring!) and lots of shouting. It was 5 a.m. and as we looked out the window, we could see a group of a few hundred guys, and a truck (which was blaring the music) asking all the girls to join them for breakfast at their hall. Quite a few went but I just wanted to fall back asleep.

That was not a dangerous situation though, because it was organized by the residence hall manager and it really was all in good fun.
 

MoochNNoodles

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I have a good friend that I've been close to since 10th grade. We always used to go out and hang out and stuff and it never failed, the worse we looked, the more attention we got! We could spend hours with curling irons and what not and get a few glances. Throw on baggy gym clothse and no makeup and boom...attention like never before.
 

starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by emily_325

How would men like that feel if we did the same thing to them?! Grrrrr.
I once had a guy grab my butt and whistle when i was at work...and lets just say i was having a horrible day and majorily pmsing....i was sooooo beyond ticked off that i turned around, grabbed his butt and made a cat call at him! The look on that jerks face was priceless!
! Oh yeah ladies that's right! I struck back and gave him a dose of his own medicine- and you know what, it worked
! That "donkey" began appologizing profusely with a look of shock and awe on his face lol
...and i said- "Maybe you'll think twice before you reach for another ladies *** again bucko!" Heheh! Win one for the ladies!
Lets just say that looser will think twice before he harasses another woman- i struck back!
 

jugen

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Most men think with something other then their brains! I personally don't give a (well you know) if someone hoots and hollers at me, now if they TOUCH me, that's another game entirely. I HATE to be touched by strangers. It's unconfortable and weird to me so if someone touches me, it's very bad for them, because I'll become a major demon and they'll wish their bodies melted into the floor after I get through with them. I rant and rave and curse, and scream and make them wish they'd never even got out of bed that morning.
(am I a bad person for this???)
 

ognstub

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yuck! im not a piece of meat either but thats how it makes me feel when a truck load of guys does that (not that it happens all the time lol)

at least they didnt yell fat b!tch or loser or something like that (ive had that happen a few times, mostly a bunch of kids in a car)

i got this email the other day (guys, i know yer not ALL pigs)



THE LONELY BRAIN CELL

Once upon a time there was a female brain cell which, by mistake, happened to end up in a man's head.

She looked around nervously because it was all empty and quiet.

"Hello?" she cried, but no answer.

"Is there anyone here?" she cried a little louder, but still no answer.

Now the female brain cell started to feel alone and scared and yelled at the top of her voice,

"HELLO, IS THERE ANYONE HERE?"

Then she heard a faint voice from far, far away..............


"We're down here ..."
 
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