i need to vent.

you know what really bugs me?
older men who think it's okay - complimentary even - to tell a young woman, whom he barely knows, how attractive she is. this is not okay. it's uncomfortable and inappropriate. for many reasons.
why should i have to smile and bear it when some man i meet for the first time says, "my son warned me that you were pretty." what am i supposed to say to that? am i supposed to just smile and say thank you? (i should've said, "i wish someone had warned me that you're rude). or worse, when one of my coworkers -- one that i do not have a friendship with - sees me coming down the hall and says "here she comes, looking good today!"
since when was it okay to talk to a woman that way? is it because i'm young? single? what? because a wedding band on my left hand or 10 years added to my age really isn't what will make that suddenly inappropriate. it is because it is.

and maybe i'm just being feminist here, but are guys ever subjected to this? if so, i think it's rare. it's similar to the stereotypical construction site scene. men think that, because they are men, and we are women, they're allowed to hoop, holler, and say what they like - and we're somehow supposed to think it's a compliment.

well, guys, how about complimenting me on something besides looks? tell me that your son warned you that i was nice. tell me i look happy today. but stop thinking that because i'm a female, you can tell me i'm pretty. or i 'look good.' if i need someone to tell me that, i'll ask my mama.