Why? Just Why?!?

 It's hot and humid here. Again. In the midst of a heat wave, I have been trying to get out the door early for my morning bike ride. Easier said than done in a house with only one bathroom and a teen-aged boy.But still I persist.

Before Covid there had always been a noticeable increase of foot and pedal traffic on the path during the Summer months. And I have always tried to avoid going by the lake during these months because of too many summer people. But since Covid? It has been insane. There are still the regular Summer people, such as a cheerful group of seniors whom I fondly refer to as "the senior gang". I refer to them as a gang because they tend to travel in a pack and tend to inadvertently block traffic, but are at least cognizant of the fact that it is the polite thing to move out of the way as needed.

Lately there has been this other elderly group. They fairly reek of money, with their pricey bikes and bicycle gear and their tanned and muscled old person legs. I'm willing to forgive all of that. As long as they are pleasant to deal with when passing by one another on the path.

But today........

I was just biking along, taking it slow, because it's already getting overly warm. This group of older bikers passed on my left. Because this is how it's supposed to work. Stay on the right side except to pass. But this is another pet peeve for another day.

After I was passed by this group most of the group pedaled away. Except for this one guy. Who slowed down in the left lane.......So much so that I eventually had to announce "passing on the right!"

Oh he knew. Because apparently this was his plan?? He asked if I was the woman that used to ride in a long flowing dress? I responded that I used to wear a shortish sundress over leggings. And that I didn't think it was me that he was thinking of.

"Oh, well, if it was you, I just wanted to tell you how good you looked," he says as he starts to pick up a bit more speed and slowly pull away from me. 

"You're looking good too!" he tosses over his shoulder just before he gets out of ear shot.

Ummm, thank you?? But did I ask you? Because I'm pretty sure I did not.

"We are just trying to live our damned lives. Running errands. Going to work. Socializing. Exercising. We do not, on top of all of the emotional and mental strife life comes with, also need to worry about whether or not our aesthetic is pleasing to some random dude at the gym. Men just get to go about their lives without worrying about how their look pleases or offends anybody.

When I find men I work with, or am friends with, start talking about a woman’s body, I shut it down. “Nope. That topic is not for you. That’s off-limits. You don’t know what you’re talking about and nobody asked,” is what I say. 

For every man out there thinking he has a place ranking and rating female bodies, I’d like to remind them that a woman made them. Women give life—and some woman gave that loud-mouthed man his life. For the very fact that the female body is capable of producing life, it is perfect—no matter how it looks."

https://madamenoire.com/1130498/why-men-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-comment-on-womens-bodies/

"I can chart my life by the comments men have made about my physical appearance. 

when a man feels entitled to tell a random woman how he sees her face, her body, her hair, this sends a very different message. It says that women exist to be observed and appraised, that they are decorative background players while men are the lead roles. So a female stranger might ask me where I got my coat from, but a random man on the train will tell me that I should smile because it would really brighten his day."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/14/chart-life-random-men-told-me-about-my-body

Fuck you and the opinion train you rode in on. I should be able to take my overweight middle aged ass out on the trail for a sweaty bike ride without worrying about some random comment made my some random man who feels entitled to make said random comment about my body.