[riffraff]

I thought the same on first reading.

But now I think the author felt the first more strongly because it made her feel "not even worth consideration" rather than "merely" objectified, which presumably is something she might have more familiarity/ability to cope with.

[anc84]

Still nothing to do with gender.

[patall]

That is not the point. She is complaining that they were 5 to 10 person watching a TV show, another guy comes in and wants to change the channel, not even considering asking the other people why they watched something different that day. Not about gender, not about sports, just shows total social incompetence.

[anc84]

It is the main point, see the title: The most alienating thing that ever happened to me, as a female engineer

[riffraff]

I was referring to the second sentence ("more worrying" bit). I don't really see the main event as especially gender-related either.