IMO the prevailing mood in this thread is male-centric, just like society as a whole.
Men simply have no idea what it means to be a woman. Just because they have not personally experienced sexual abuse, they tend to think that it is a marginal problem but it is not. Even in so-called civilized and tolerant societies abuse is widespread.
I can guarantee that pretty much every woman living on this planet has been exposed to one form of abuse at some point in life, if not downright rape or assault (which is more frequent than people would think - most occurrences are unreported and shame is more often brought upon the victims than the attackers).
I can talk about my own (admittedly limited) experience in public transportation systems, but it can also happen in the workplace.
Examples:
- a young man sits next to me and starts talking to me in familiar form, even though we don't know each other and I am clearly older - I could possibly be his mother. Then he immediately start making indecent proposals, calls me a slut in front of other people. Would he tolerate the same behavior toward his sisters or mother ? I hope not.
- a man starts whispering obscene words in my back and pushes his dick in erection against my body as I am getting off the subway. Acceptable ? I don't think so.
What is awkward and scary is that the other passengers will most of the time turn a blind eye and not help. Thus the attackers act with impunity because of complacency and indifference. It's the first thing that must change: public attitude.
Believe me, it is not flattering at all. It doesn't mean at all that the man finds you attractive, he just looks at you like a pack of meat and doesn't respect you as a human being. Some people are not sane, you wonder if they will stab you with a knife if you say something they don't like. Somebody who is willing to assault you is ready to physically hurt you.
I am probably moderately attractive at best, so you can imagine what the more beautiful girls are facing on a daily basis. If only you could see the world through the eyes of a woman, even your mother or GF. Your world outlook would be very different.
