Women Explain Which Things Men Do That They May Not Realize Are Actually Scary

Women Explain Which Things Men Do That They May Not Realize Are Actually Scary
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Ever notice how much women have to refrain from certain activities? Men: If you haven't, you should ask them sometimes. I have friends who don't like to walk around at night. They take extra care when they travel alone. They all have stories about dealing with men who violate their personal space or feel entitled to their company. But so much of this can be lost in translation.

After Redditor Honnung asked the online community, "Women, what are things that men do that they don't realize scare you?" many women spoke candidly about their experiences.

"I've been approached several times..."

I've been approached several times in public by random men who say they want to be friends with me. One leaned in really close to have a conversation and asked me where I was from and where I live. Another grabbed my hands and remarked on how soft my skin is. Another one literally locked arms with me and dragged me to a coffee shop to "get to know me" and then later told me to come with him to a more private place for a view of the city.

I weakly joke about it sometimes but in the moment it really does make me nervous. I don't know if I just look really unimposing (I'm an Asian woman but I'm taller than average?) but I'm not sure why it happens. Regardless, please don't just grab random women, even out of friendliness, and respect personal space.

kerbula

"Following you to your car..."

Following you to your car to get your number.

Don't. Ever. Do. That.

dadadawn

I'll repeat it: Don't do it.

Men: Would you feel comfortable if someone followed you to your car? Probably not, right?

"Basically..."

Blocking my path or physically holding me in place if they are not done talking to me. Basically, using more strength/size to restrict my motion in any way.

uncoolforschool

"Trying to get me to your place..."

Trying to get me to your place or come to mine when we just met or just started talking online. I won't even give you my number that soon.

elishadasenbrock

"When I was younger and dating..."

Driving really aggressively and having road rage. When I was younger and dating I had so many experiences as a passenger with young guys who were otherwise normal but really intense and scary when they got behind the wheel. It always seemed like a red flag.

brazziere

When you read about people...

...who've been killed in road rage incidents, this one hits home. It happens and it's scary. People get really fired up while driving and yes, that sort of behavior can be very intimidating, even frightening.

"People on Tinder would suggest..."

Wanting to go to a secluded location if I don't know you well. People on Tinder would suggest going on hikes or taking a walk after dinner on first dates. Didn't even cross their minds that I would not want to be alone with them on a date.

jittery_raccoon

"Blocked someone..."

Blocked someone from every method of contact after the world's creepiest date and about ten years later, pops up again when they found me on social media. I haven't changed my mind.

jlawfosho

"It freaks me out..."

Touching you in any way without permission, even if it seems harmless to you.

Unfortunately, that happens rather often in retail.

Don't touch my shoulder when you talk to me. Don't stroke my hair. Don't caress my hand when you give me your money. Don't touch my butt or my boobs or anything at all! Please respect my personal space.

It freaks me out when male strangers come near me and touch me in any way.

It gets extra creepy when they start to compliment me and won't stop trying to "befriend" me. Your compliment in those situations doesn't make me happy, they scare me. I need to leave my work later and I am scared that you will wait for me outside and catch me.

lavendellefee

"I was on the subway..."

Joking about mugging or assaulting us.

I was on the subway, returning home, and a group of tall guys were watching me play my Switch. One of them decided to swagger right up behind me, so that he was *breathing over my shoulder* while his friends joked "let's mug and assault her for that Switch."

I'm less than 120 lbs. It wouldn't take much to force me against a wall and I couldn't escape. I could easily be mugged, beaten.

I was surrounded by people, thankfully, but having one of them in my personal space, while his buds laughed about "assaulting" me had me terrorized the entire commute home. They got off at the same station I did, so I used a completely different exit and took a detour to shrug them off - I didn't want them knowing which direction I normally used.

SilverNightingale

Went on a first date with someone. Had a great time with them and was looking forward to the next date.

Until he started texting me after the date trying to come over to my place. He was very persistent and I was getting annoyed repeatedly telling him no. I pretended to fall asleep so I didn't have to answer his texts anymore.

The next day he asked me if I enjoyed the date. I told him that while I had fun, I didn't want to move quickly or have him come over to my place any time soon and I wasn't ready to do anything sexual.

His response? "Well, I'm ready."

I stopped talking to him after that- he came off way too rapey and I felt like I dodged a serious bullet. He would keep trying to swipe right on me whenever I was on a different dating app and I'd immediately block him on any dating app I saw him on.

CFDatingForMe

Sadly, this is a reality for so many women.

Having to be alert at all times can take a toll on you.

"He did it a bunch more times..."

English isn't my first language so I can't really generalize this but asking if I need a ride and keep pestering me when I decline.

I used to walk home from school when this old man literally parked his car in front of me while I was crossing a small parking lot and asked if I needed a ride. I lied and said the house at the end of the block was my house. He did it a bunch more times until I had to change my walking route. It was a longer way but I felt safe again.

Scarlet_B9

"A lot of men turn women..."

Getting really intense about our relationship/ friendship really early on. A lot of guys turn women into this kind of fantasy thing that's supposed to make them whole/ help them change or whatever. Sir, I am the main character in my own life, not just a supporting one in yours. When you put that pressure on me right away without reciprocation, I know that I don't actually matter, you've been taught that women serve you.

clarkthecatisguy

"Like dude..."

"Buying me a drink" except bringing it to me himself and introducing himself this way. Like dude, I'm not gonna drink that, I don't know what's in it or where it's been.

xylodactyl

Men: We can do better.

Why are men conditioned like this? Why do men feel there isn't anything wrong with touching a woman unnecesarily? Clearly we need to address the way men are raised, because a lot appears to be lost in translation. We live in a world where some men have even gone as far as to kill women in retaliation for rejecting their advances. The more men become aware of this, the more they'll understand women and their fear.

Have your own experiences? Feel free to share them in the comments section below.

People Share Unspoken First Date Rules Everyone Should Follow

Reddit user Quotedkarma asked: 'What's an unspoken rule on a first date?'

Two people having coffee
Photo by Chewy on Unsplash

Countless emotions arise when going on a first date.

Making this all the more difficult is that a first date is one of the few things that absolutely must be done solo, so bringing friends as backup simply isn't an option.

Leaving one to wish there was a handbook for navigating a first date successfully.

Of course, while there is no official guide, everyone has rules and beliefs about what to do and what to avoid on a first date.

From how to effortlessly bring out your best qualities, to a foolproof escape plan if your date is anything but the one you've dreamed your whole life of meeting.

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People Divulge Things Their Coworkers Have Done That Should've Gotten Them Fired But Didn't

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My second college internship led me to a small content creation company. It was so small that the two editors were the only paid employees. Everyone else was an intern.

I was excited to start so I could add more to my portfolio only to realize that one of the editors replaced my name with hers every time she edited one of my articles. Not much of the content was changed, but I was too shy to question it.

I eventually found out that she did this to all the interns, and most of the interns had learned to private message their draft articles to the other editor, who did not take the bylines.

I asked one of my fellow interns if the founder of the company knew the editor took bylines. Turns out, the founder knew, but for some reason no one else could figure out, the editor never got fired.

It turns out this story isn't unique. There are lots of instances when someone does something at work that should get them fired, but they manage to hold on to their job. Redditors have plenty of stories like that and are eager to share.

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People Share Simple Mistakes That Have Actually Ended Lives

A black and white picture of a cemetery
davide ragusa on Unsplash

Not to startle any of you, but death stalks us.

We all have nightmares about diseases and murderers.

But what if, in the end, we just choke on a pickle we inhaled too fast?

Maybe instead of a pickle, a little coleslaw would have been the wiser choice.

We'll never know.

The most minute things can send us packing.

Redditor SuffocatedByThighs wanted to discuss the things that can extinguish our lives in the most basic ways, so they asked:

"What simple mistake has ended lives?"

Tripping over untied shoelaces.

It can break your neck.

TIE YOUR SHOES!!!

Off the Rocks

On No Falling GIF by Outside TVGiphy

"There have been too many instances of rock climbers rappelling off of the ends of their ropes, which could have been easily avoided by tying stopper knots at the ends of their ropes."

LZRDLZRD

Seconds

"I worked at a tire place for a summer and the first thing they told me was 'See that torque wrench? One mistake with this and you can kill a whole family in a matter of seconds.' I thought well, better take this thing seriously."

FrenchMicrowave

"Man for a second I was thinking 'F**k you'd have to swing that thing around fast to take out an entire family' and just bluescreened on the idea of changing a tire."

lurking_my_a**_off

How Vexing...

"THERAC-25. The world’s deadliest software error. Cost several radiation patients their lives by administering lethal amounts of radiation, and for a while, the doctors didn’t even know."

Longjumping_Event_59

"THERAC-25 suffered a particularly vexing sort of error known as a race condition. Essentially, the circuit required multiple inputs in a particular sequence, but sometimes the timing of that sequence could get thrown out of whack and it would lead to all sorts of nonsensical output."

"This is less than ideal when all you're doing is manipulating pixels, but when your software is handling radiation beams you really don't want this to happen."

"Even more vexing is that race conditions are frequently heisenbugs, which can vanish altogether when one attempts to study them. If you don't have a good idea of what's causing the error, you may never cotton on to what sort of bad input is required to test it. Under those circumstances, it's easy to write them off as imaginary, only to then find."

dancingmadkoschei

Heavy Drifting

"Leaving the stranded vehicle on the road in winter and trying to walk to get help. It happens in rural parts of our province once or twice a year and they find the body a few days later. They get disoriented and freeze."

Regina_Runner

"I got blown off a road in high winds. Heavy drifting. Less than a mile from a friend's house after I had turned around. Drifts made it impossible to complete the trip. Trying to run a mile in full blizzard conditions was a fight for my life as an in-shape 24-year-old male athlete.

"rotyag

Simple Slips

Uh Oh Omg GIF by BounceGiphy

"Almost any simple mistake can end a life if you're an anesthesiologist, that's how my grandpa died in his early 60s."

dwserps

Any second. Any moment.

Stay vigilant people.

Celibacy could be better...

Oh My Wow GIFGiphy

"Not being honest with doctors about Viagra. It has many dangerous drug interactions and can cause a lot of problems from what I’ve heard. Trust me the doctor ain’t gonna judge you guys, they have seen many more embarrassing things. And it would suck to die because you wanted to hide something just for it to be later stated in your death certificate."

The_upsetti_spagetti

Check the Numbers

"As a healthcare worker, giving the wrong amount of insulin."

UzumakiHorror

"During the first shift of my first clinical rotation in nursing school, I watched a nurse draw up insulin out of an auto-injector pen that was CLEARLY marked to specifically not do that AND she was drastically wrong about the dosage and almost killed a guy by giving him essentially like a hundred times the intended dose."

someguynamedg

Stay In

"Pulling the knife out of someone."

rcadephantom

"Yeah, I did that but it was a broken tree branch that had impaled my leg. Without even thinking I pulled it out. Blood started gushing so I pulled off my shirt and tied it into a pressure bandage. I was lucky I didn’t bleed to death."

Olddog_Newtricks2001

"Shock is an IQ reducer. I once sliced a bit off the side of my hand with a broken glass, and sort of dazedly picked off the piece of me and tried to stick it back on. It did not work."

UncannyTarotSpread

Stay Dirty

"Mixing cleaning ingredients."

Jonnysource

"My dad was trying to unclog his kitchen drain and mixed drain cleaners by adding one then adding another a few minutes later. It started bubbling and he began coughing intensely. I heard him coughing from the other room, saw what happened, and opened the nearby window to get rid of the chlorine gas he just produced."

"I forgot there was a large hive of wasps that had moved into that window and they did not appreciate this unexpected interruption. I took him to the emergency room for the gas exposure and it was tough explaining that the wasp stings were not why we were there."

CharmingTuber

Dear God

Jeff Goldblum What GIF by The Late Late Show with James CordenGiphy

"A friend’s husband locked himself out of their home. He tried to get in through a window that had security bars. While squeezing through his foot slipped and he essentially hung himself on the window sill."

Cokej01

Life is fleeting. Here is proof.

LIVE!! But live smart.

death

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We all have foods that we like or don't like, and depending on how passionately we feel, it may be pretty hard to understand why someone likes a food that otherwise grosses us out.

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