"All by myself"
So on my way home from work yesterday I was riding my bike past an older man who'd been drafted to hold a sign in front of his business. As I approached, the man called out to me the following puzzling phrase:
"Aw! Such a pretty girl, riding her bike all by herself!"
WTF?
As I passed him I just looked at him and said, "Oh."
And then I had to wait on the same corner as him to cross the street.
I didn't look at him, but he called after me, "Just being friendly. . . ." In this sort of reassuring grandpa voice.
It was clear to me that he thought I didn't give a polite response because I must've thought he was hitting on me, and he wanted to make sure I didn't think he was calling me "pretty" to make a pass at me. However, that's not my problem with it. Jackasses of all ages catcall me for that very reason. What I don't understand is why he identified me as being "all by myself."
Which he sort of expressed as though it were a shame since I'm so pretty.
So . . . random pity from a guy on the street, because I'm left to ride alone, presumably against my will? Pretty people should always be accompanied? If I'm not accompanied on a bike ride, I probably don't have a boyfriend/husband/significant other? If I indeed don't have one of those relationships, it's something that should cause a guy on the street to feel sorry for me?
I was really left shaking my head there. I don't know what's "just being friendly" about telling some random girl whose situation you don't know that she is, in fact, so pretty that it's puzzling for her to be "all by herself" at any time in her life. And I don't know what's "just being friendly" about anyone making a commentary on your life choices (or what are presumably your life choices) when you have literally done nothing more than pass them on the street.
"Aw! Such a pretty girl, riding her bike all by herself!"
WTF?
As I passed him I just looked at him and said, "Oh."
And then I had to wait on the same corner as him to cross the street.
I didn't look at him, but he called after me, "Just being friendly. . . ." In this sort of reassuring grandpa voice.
It was clear to me that he thought I didn't give a polite response because I must've thought he was hitting on me, and he wanted to make sure I didn't think he was calling me "pretty" to make a pass at me. However, that's not my problem with it. Jackasses of all ages catcall me for that very reason. What I don't understand is why he identified me as being "all by myself."
Which he sort of expressed as though it were a shame since I'm so pretty.
So . . . random pity from a guy on the street, because I'm left to ride alone, presumably against my will? Pretty people should always be accompanied? If I'm not accompanied on a bike ride, I probably don't have a boyfriend/husband/significant other? If I indeed don't have one of those relationships, it's something that should cause a guy on the street to feel sorry for me?
I was really left shaking my head there. I don't know what's "just being friendly" about telling some random girl whose situation you don't know that she is, in fact, so pretty that it's puzzling for her to be "all by herself" at any time in her life. And I don't know what's "just being friendly" about anyone making a commentary on your life choices (or what are presumably your life choices) when you have literally done nothing more than pass them on the street.