Finally, son!

: Had a Real New York Moment™ tonight

cockenblog:

drinkyourjuice:

[exiting the subway]
Some teenager: Hey sexy.

[ten feet out of the subway station]
Guy in his 30s: Have a good night, beautiful.

[rounding the corner to my block]
Some old dude: Smile, precious. Show them pretty teeth.
Me: Oh FUCK you.

apio:

I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a long time but never knew how, and here it is, perfectly encapsulated.  Thank you, Christine, for putting together the words I never really could.

That being said, there’s one point on which I’d have to disagree.  Do I think those men meant to make me feel unsafe?  Yes.  Absolutely. 

I say this because of a simple fact: of the men that make passes on me day-to-day, how many of them think they actually have a chance?  The much-older men, the men that whisper things as I walk past, the men that stand by and call things out, the teenage boys on any given corner that react in groups, the guy on the elevator who tries to make small talk and then throws in the unsolicited comment, the cat-calling subway conductors, the police officer that winks and says “Be safe, sweetheart” out of the blue in a way that makes me feel less safe than I felt five seconds ago, the men that leer even when I’m not alone, the men that creep closer in subway trains when they’re already only inches away, and worst—the everyday guys, regular kids and adults, who think they’re brightening up my day by paying me a compliment (a simple “you look beautiful” from the teenage cashier at rite aid or the “damn I love that dress” from the outgoing Starbucks barista)—who make me feel equal parts uncomfortable and inexplicably guilty because surely they didn’t mean any harm, right?

But that’s the thing.  These guys do, knowingly or not.  They seek to harm by the simple fact that these comments are not made in actual pursuit of something with me; they eject these words into the atmosphere out of sheer insensitivity, because they feel they have a right to say them, and most of all, because they want to see me react.  The guy that says “God you’re sexy” as you walk by isn’t trying to get you to date him; he says that because he feels he has ownership over your projected image as a woman.  That he has a right to comment on you or your body.  And he does this purely to make you uncomfortable. 

This is the answer I’ve come up with after years of asking “WHY”.  If I see an attractive man, I would never presume to say or do things like this, so why is it that men feel they have a right to say/do things like this around me?  But the sad part is not that it happens to me, but that women, day in and day out, have to face this no matter where they are.  By making these passes and paying these unsolicited “compliments”, strange men invade their right to privacy and peace and make the outside world feel hostile purely because they can.

I don’t know what my point is in saying all this, but I just needed to get it off my chest and not feel crazy for feeling this way.  It just sucks.  It fucking sucks because I have to smile sweetly and act surprised and grit my teeth and say “Aw thank you!” like these things don’t creep the fuck out of me, because I’m a lady, and to reject a compliment would be ungracious.

Fuck this game, man.  I’m with Christine.  Suck my dick.

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It really is unfortunate how many mornings are started off with negative vibes because idiots in my neighborhood wear their dicks on their sleeves

Important read.

Agreed x 1 million. 

Source: drinkyourjuice