Hey babe, what's your sign?
One of the things I completely fail to understand is unmarried women who go out wearing fake wedding rings.
To a woman, perhaps the logic is sound. "If I'm wearing a wedding ring, then I'm not going to get hit on. I can avoid dealing with aggressive men, and I'll have a ready excuse for dismissing any men who do approach me."
Although that might appear to make sense, it's really a perfect example of subjective thinking. Let's look at how this really works from a man's perspective. Let's start by saying that there are two types of guys in the world: the inconsiderate and the considerate. I think that's not an uncommon segmentation for women to make.
The inconsiderate guy is really the guy that women are trying to avoid. He might be loud or pushy, but he's definitely both selfish and thoughtless. He doesn't really care who you are, he just wants to have some fun, and is looking for a girl who will accommodate him.
Is this guy even going to look at your wedding ring? In all likelihood, probably not. He'll be just as happy to chat you up and see how far he can get anyways. Maybe he thinks your ring is just decorative. Or more likely he knows that lots of women pull this stunt, and assumes that if you're around, you're available and "looking for it". He really doesn't care that you're wearing a ring; the only thing that's going to stop him is a very forcible "No"... hopefully.
Then there's the considerate guy. He's still out for a good time, but he's learned that women aren't objects, and he doesn't want to come across like a "typical guy". This guy won't barge into your conversation, and he won't assume that your presence indicates your interest in sex. This is the kind of guy that most women would enjoy: he thinks of you, he's not threatening, and he'll go away if you want him to. Unfortunately, you may never get to meet him, because unlike the other guy, he can hear what you are saying to him when you wear that ring.
It's sad that we live in a culture where women are so fearful of men that they treat every unknown man, no matter how considerate, as if they were a convicted rapist/murderer. Having been a victim of that preconception, I think it's as sexist and prejudicial as any other form of hate. But if we take that fear as a given, I think putting on a wedding ring is a pretty ineffective response to it. By doing so, you drive away the guys who would give you a fair share of respect, but do nothing to stop the selfish, thoughtless guys whom you want to avoid. In short, you're guaranteeing that all the guys you meet are going to be jerks.
That, of course, reinforces your fear of men, your impression that they are all jerks, and your sexist prejudices. As you become more and more defensive, the cycle continues to reinforce itself, and harms both yourself and all the great considerate guys out there, without ever hurting or even discouraging the real problem: the inconsiderate guys.
Doesn't seem so terribly wise to me.