[lyricism]

There are a lot of dismissive replies to this comment but as a woman who has tried this in "safe" but unfamiliar cities, things can get scary very quickly. Catcalls are inevitable, and only the beginning. A catcall from a passing car that has slowed to swerve towards you is terrifying. Yes, self-defense and being aware of your surroundings help, but don't exactly lend themselves to the state of mind described in this article. I am not speaking from paranoia, but from experience.

[Ma8ee]

Thank you for the reminder. As a 95 kg white male who only on a few very rare occasions felt even a bit nervous walking anywhere, it is good to get a reminder that different people experience our same world very differently.

[FredPret]

I'm a big guy too. It's always good to remember that women and smaller men essentially live in a different world from us from a safety point of view.

But in a truly dangerous city, size won't help you - even a kid can kill you with a gun or a knife.

[quickthrower2]

It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum.

A 60kg skinny man can worry less tham a 60kg gym going woman.

[autoexec]

> It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum.

that seems like a weird take. Most of the time I'd think people wandering unfamiliar streets will be accosted by assholes looking for money than looking for someone to sexually harass. Even catcallers will have various motivations which might not involve intent to sexually harass (even though that's usually the effect).

Men have a lower risk of being sexually assaulted while a mugger or a scammer will happily target individuals of either sex if they think they can get away with it. Men do tend to the preferred target for someone looking to start a fight however which can make a difference depending on the area and how territorial the local thugs are.

Still, I'd feel way more comfortable as a 60kg woman who was fit and knew how to defend herself than I would as a 60kg man who had no idea how to fight and little muscle. In either case if someone assaulted me I would be targeted because I'm being perceived as weak and vulnerable, and in only one of those scenarios would I be in a position to quickly give an assailant cause to reassess and back off.

Staying aware of your surroundings and taking sensible precautions when wandering (anywhere) is good advice for anybody.

[impossiblefork]

>Still, I'd feel way more comfortable as a 60kg woman who was fit and knew how to defend herself than I would as a 60kg man who had no idea how to fight and little muscle.

Generally, even in this situation, men are more able to defend themselves. Women have 60-70% of the upper body strength of a man of the same weight.(see https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/brzycki/fi...)

[autoexec]

I imagine that just demonstrating that you're ready and able to fight would be enough to dissuade an attacker who was just looking for an easy mark, but even if they persist I'm not sure raw strength would necessarily win out over skill and stamina. I suppose it's a matter of how skilled and how athletic/healthy you are vs the person you'd be fighting. I doubt I'd find a decent answer to the question though. I'm not sure it could be researched ethically and even it could, what would a representative sample of street muggers and rapists even look like? It might need to include everything from gangbangers and strung out junkies to drunken frat boys and mentally ill homeless people.

[impossiblefork]

Strength is critical in fighting. I have assumed that even an expert can't go up against people in different weight classes in fighting sports, and that basic skill is something that all sporty people have.

[lyricism]

My original point was not about being accosted. You would be surprised how quickly someone yelling about your genitals will take you from "aimless strolling" to fight or flight, regardless of their weight or your level of fitness.

[autoexec]

No argument there!