OMG:
A girl in engineering who puts in the effort to look my best. And then getting hit on by weird guys to the point where I get concerned for my own safety.
A girl in engineering who puts in the effort to look my best. And then getting hit on by weird guys to the point where I get concerned for my own safety.
Posted on
Sunday, September 30.
You can leave your response.
September 30, 2012 at 11:57 AM
This is the weirdest sentence structure I've ever seen
September 30, 2012 at 11:58 AM
You most certainly are an Engineering student
September 30, 2012 at 1:06 PM
I hear ya
September 30, 2012 at 1:41 PM
"I have a boyfriend"
September 30, 2012 at 1:42 PM
^ Apparently that doesn't stop anyone.
September 30, 2012 at 1:46 PM
"I'm married"
September 30, 2012 at 2:15 PM
Do you think it's wrong of them to hit on you?
September 30, 2012 at 3:02 PM
@7 There is definitely times when someone who is hitting on you is doing something wrong, and this is coming from a guy. I'm not a model but I've had passes made at me by both girls and guys, and sometimes it is just not appropriate. There are people who come on too strong, won't leave you alone (even when you say you're not single), approach you in a weird place (class is ending and I'm trying to leave, approach while giving obvious "don't bother me signs"... basically if you're hitting on someone you should be aware of how receptive to it they seem and should apologize or say "oh ok never mind" when they turn you down.
Here's an awesome article that you can use for reference http://kateharding.net/2009/10/08/guest-blogger-starling-schrodinger’s-rapist-or-a-guy’s-guide-to-approaching-strange-women-without-being-maced/
September 30, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Engineering student who failed the ELPE twice?
September 30, 2012 at 4:38 PM
@8 That article screams paranoia at me. And if women really all feel like that, then holy shit I'm glad I'm a man, cause it would suck to live like that.
But the 1/6 stat isn't really elaborated on. Within the 1/6, many of those stats included are from cases where women have been with a guy while they were intoxicated and couldn't give proper consent. Which still isn't right, but there's a difference between that and cases where their houses are broken into or they get attacked on the street.
I'm just saying the stats for the latter are probably much lower, and so women shouldn't be scared about simply sitting in a classroom with people :/
September 30, 2012 at 5:43 PM
1. no need to point out you're an engineer
2. So? we've all had creeps hit on us, it happens whether you like it or not. It is up to you to be a grown up and strong enough to know how to handle the situation. (I had a grad student get off at my stop and follow me halfway home to ask me out, I wasn't scared at all, and I handled it)
3. It happens even if you don't put any effort into your looks, trust me hun. A creep is a creep!
September 30, 2012 at 6:54 PM
^ Now that you mention it, it does seem pretty unnecessary to mention she's in engineering.
We can already tell by her writing skills.
September 30, 2012 at 7:07 PM
Say no or contact campus police and give them the info. Nobody can take responsibility for their own actions anymore?
October 1, 2012 at 11:36 AM
I think the "engineering" part was added in for comical value because it's usually said that eng girls are not very good looking. The fact that she admits to dressing her best and only manages to attract creepy guys is the amusing part. She's just poking fun at herself....so, chill guys. This isn't a program war!
October 1, 2012 at 5:29 PM
@10, it is not as if women walk around terrified at all times. But given the sheer volume of street harassment we experience (less in waterloo, but in toronto I'd say for me at least 2-3 times a week I get catcalled, and I do not dress particularly skimpy) we are wary when a random dude does approach us. Many guys, some of which are creeps and some of which are just awkward, do make us extremely uncomfortable and feel cornered, unsafe, or insulted and harassed, and many of them won't leave us alone despite the clearest signs we can give. Part of the problem is that if we are impolite we might escalate it into conflict and get called a bitch, whore, slut etc (which has happened to me) or the guy might even get physical or violent (this worry obviously depends on your location at the time -- eg walking alone at night is different than if someone is hitting on you in the middle of SLC or something).
Now, waterloo is not bad for street harassment. People hit on me at the gym which is a bit uncomfortable, but they aren't rude, at least. But you don't understand how tiring it is. I feel constantly under scrutiny. I am not saying this to say how hot I am or something. This is just reality for a woman in our society. Toronto is much worse than waterloo, as I mentioned, and from stories I've heard from my american friends it's even worse in big cities down there. Again these are not people dressed particularly skimpy... a t-shirt and shorts, or a big puffy coat. Your boundaries are there to be crossed as long as people can detect you are female. As a woman you are SO OFTEN demeaned and disrespected aloud by random strangers, and it does feel threatening. Any of these men are several orders of magnitude stronger than I am, and they always will be, because I am naturally very small. My working out will only help so much. It is threatening.
So, anyway, that schrodinger's rapist article -- it seems paranoid to you but it rings extremely true for me. This is why women get so angry when people try to tell them they are just being sensitive. You have no idea the amount of time we spend dealing with this bullshit. We learn to judge and react quickly in situations where we might be shortly made to feel uncomfortable, demeaned or unsafe because it happens so often. This is just basic instinctual adapting to your surroundings. We learn through repetitive and near-constant experiences that some men -- not all, but enough that it happens with high frequency -- do not see you as anything other than tits and ass, and will announce it to you in public or even try to accost you.
October 1, 2012 at 5:34 PM
Probably mentioned she's in engineering because she's most likely surrounded by guys, who have little time for dating/whatever and are around relatively few girls (depending which kind of engineering), so they are a little more verbally sexually aggressive.
I am just guessing, but it seems like a pretty obvious assumption to me.
October 2, 2012 at 3:42 PM
engineering engineer I'm in engineering an engineer.
Yes. As if we needed any proof that engineers are complete fuckwads and social retards.
October 2, 2012 at 10:49 PM
bad writing girl in degree engineering wonders why sexist men.