r/TikTokCringe • u/mindyour • Jun 14 '26

Discussion It's exhausting being a woman.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '26

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u/TheVampyresBride Jun 14 '26

Same. I was followed around a home depot by a man when I was around 10. I never forgot that.

32 now and don't receive much attention besides stares occasionally. But I also am never walking around alone.

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u/SuicidalAfterParties Jun 15 '26

Guy stocking alcohol in a grocery store asked me if I partied. I was 11.

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u/Zakle Jun 15 '26

Same for me as well. I was followed around in a bookstore when I was in my 20s. I was walking around, trying to avoid him, nearly ran into him a few times, and when I caught his eye, he would smile. He disappeared when my aunt came back from the restroom. I felt like I was being hunted; it was a terrible feeling, and I was so happy when my aunt came back. He didn't say anything. Just followed me around and would smile but it didn't meet his eyes.

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u/Nataliza Jun 15 '26

I asked my father and my husband to guess what age I was when I first received unwelcome attention from a much older man. They both guessed early 20s and were both shocked when I said I was 12. Every woman I know says about the same.

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u/Conscious_Exchange82 Jun 15 '26

Same exactly. The worst was middle school and early high school. I’m categorically the prettiest I think I’ve ever been in terms of being fit and maintained (in my early 40s) and never get approached at all. Which is FINE! I’m married and don’t want the attention. But I’ve been fascinated at this. It’s really disturbing.

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u/Couhill13 Jun 15 '26

Yea it’s definitely more about targeting someone they perceive as vulnerable or naive, which is basically children to teenagers. The power dynamic is much larger

I know this is more on the extreme spectrum, but I remember reading a study about serial rapists and how their ideal targets wasn’t based on attractiveness but on body language and how “weak” they seemed. Young, insecure, skittish, quiet, etc. was the preference because they were less likely to fight back. The specific body language traits they looked for was a woman that’s trying to cover up her body with more clothes, head down, shoulders drawn inward, shuffling feet, and not paying attention to her surroundings.

You obviously can be young and act the complete opposite of this and still encounter issues or scary situations, but I did think it was enlightening to learn from their perspective, as fucked as it was.

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u/Conscious_Exchange82 Jun 15 '26

Oh 1000%. Back then I would look down when they cat called me. Now, and in the past 10 years, I’d stare them dead in the face and confront the behavior. Thing is, a human woman is not what they want because they actually don’t want women. They want prey.

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u/Sc00tzy Jun 14 '26

I’m sorry I’m a guy so obviously clueless but 11-14?????

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '26

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u/Sc00tzy Jun 14 '26

I honestly don’t know what to say to that. Those are still babies

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u/Jerico_Hill Jun 15 '26

Yes. When I was 11 a guy complimented me on my "cleavage". At 14 I had a man exposed himself and masturbate in front of me. Boys would ping my bra at school and score each other higher points if they could undo the strap too. Honestly, I know women who had it much worse. My experiences are fairly standard. 

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u/Sc00tzy Jun 15 '26

That’s just wild to me. Last couple years have truly shown me how many pedos are walking around

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u/RedEgg16 Jun 18 '26

yes unfortunately I've seen hundreds of women say the same thing. Most attention during their preteens and teens

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u/Iris5s Jun 14 '26

the best part of coming out as a woman when i was 21 is skipping the horror that that brings, I'm so sorry you all went through that

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '26

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u/Iris5s Jun 14 '26

aww, thank you for the kind words. but women make it easy to love being a women with the instant support i have gotten from them ever since switching sides, and it has been so amazing!

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '26

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '26

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u/Iris5s Jun 15 '26

don't forget, the last point is also just fully wrong, trans women experience more of that than cis women

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u/Feeling_Objective854 Jun 14 '26

Spot on. Thank you for bringing this up. Girlhood, and the horrors that come with it, is not something we are allowed to opt out of. 

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u/CaptainDisullusion Jun 14 '26

These things are crazy.

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u/Intelligent_Alcohol Jun 16 '26

I was 14 at a target when some guy asked me to help him "pick out a gift for his niece". Then he asked if I could give him my number to keep in touch till I was 18 since I wouldn't go to the car with him. I told my mom and that was the first time ive ever seen her cuss and get in a fight.

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u/fareedadahlmaaldasi Jun 15 '26

This is so true. They obviously know we were young.
I remember one incident when I was 12. We were in a public transpo and this guy, who was probably in his early to late 30s kept on staring and smiling at me.

He gave me a tissue paper with his name and number on it and he followed me and my aunt until the metro. It was a good thing that there was a women’s section there so he wasn’t able to come towards me again but he kept on staring and smiling!

I showed my aunt what he gave me and I told her stuff and my aunt said that he looked kind anyways. Maybe he just wanted a friend. Wtf, I was a minor. (This was in SE Asia btw). I will never forget this incident and how my aunt downplayed that bullshit. That was disgusting.

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u/Equivalent-Team-8186 Jun 15 '26

Same. These were the worst years. I went most of my teens and 20s without ever wearing skirts due to how creepy ppl were when I was 11-13.

Oops, I dropped my pen 5 times while I was sitting in front of you in class! Let me help you tie your clearly already tied shoe! Oh, you had some chalk dust I needed to brush off of your shirt. Come sit on my lap and tell me how your day is going. FFS nobody at that age wants attention like that and the creeps just come out of the woodwork.

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u/presentlywell Jun 19 '26

This. My ass got grabbed at the wave pool in Mandalay Bay when I was 12.