Women as "Open Persons"

It's difficult to disagree with the section "Not-so small insults: Street remarks' and verbal violence against women." More specifically, there are certain unwritten rules, a "norm of civil inattention" that people utilize while in public places.

Being a man, I will never fully understand what a woman must go through when she has to balance her reactions against her replies. She must decide against fully accepting a compliment that will then classify her as an open person, or ignoring a compliment in which then she might be accused of rudeness.

This behavior can cause a woman to be perpetually self conscious about herself when she is alone, or even with another person or persons. Women are aware they are being looked at, and that is what creates this self consciousness. It doesn't really matter if the woman being watched likes or dislikes the attention, this behavior can cause a women to act in a different manner than most men in public (such as a homosexual type of setting).

It's unfortunate that women can be construed as sexual prey, but it looks like these street remarks may be more difficult to avoid than meets the eye.