The Fairer Sex

You know the deal. It's a hot day and you're feeling good so this morning you left your jeans on the hanger and slung on a skirt or a cheekily low-cut top. You head into town to get a bit of shopping done, and on your way down the High Street you pass a group of workmen. The eyes are on you. The foreman even stops looking down the hole his co-workers have made, prises his Costa cup from his lips and looks at you.

Then comes the immortal line: "Nice boobs!" (Or "Nice legs!" of course.)

What do you do? How do you respond to that?

1. Ignore it, roll your eyes and walk on
2. Shout "PERVERT!", yank down/up your skirt/top and hot-foot it away
3. Thank them for the compliment.

Yes, you read the last option correctly. They have just complimented you. Yes, albeit in a bit of a cack-handed way, but that's their idea of charm. It's what you'd expect - maybe if it was a guy at a party or a social gathering, you might expect him to phrase it a little differently, for example "That's a nice top you're wearing".

I saw an advert on the TV for a new reality series, following the exploits of one Kendra Wilkinson, ex-Playmate and one-time girlfriend of Hugh Hefner. The three-minute ad involved "Questions for Kendra" in which a leggy brunette with a cutesy voice asked questions posed by the show's viewers. One question was along the lines of "What do guys do that really turns you off?"

I personally can name a few things. Sleep-farting, yawning during sex, admitting that yes, he probably would sleep with Lady Gaga given the chance. But Kendra, bless her pink fluffy heart says, "When you're walking down the street and a guy, like, whistles at you or stares...ewwww!" Yeah, Kendra. You're just minding your own business, walking down the Boulevard in your tube top and short shorts, and some guy dares to look at you. The impudence.

OK, so I don't go out dressed like that at all, and neither does the average young lady. But the average young lady might find herself the attention of your average male, particularly if she has made an effort such as shown a little cleavage or leg. But in my book, generally I show off my legs or boobs because I am particularly proud of them; maybe my boobs are nice and tanned, or I've just bought a nice new top, or I've managed to shave my legs without nicking myself this time. I'd be delighted if someone noticed I'd made the effort.

Girls! For God's sake! It takes a lot of pluck for a guy to put down the drink, ignore the jibes of his mates and walk over to look at you properly, let alone say you look nice. I mean, they're so used to opening their mouths and then finding themselves slapped that some guys blurt out a line and immediately lean backwards, like some sort of complimentary Jack-in-the-box. Give the men a break. After all, don't we just want to be complimented?