I’ve just been reading an article entitled “Older men up in arms against slovenly female behavior.”  It describes the things that young women do that most annoy the revered older generation of men.  Unsurprisingly, given the reliance on public transportation, behavior on trains is particularly problematic.  Here are some of the complaints:

1.  Holding an umbrella between the knees while seated on the train.  I personally avoid doing this, because it’s vulgar – what happens if I doze off, relax my legs, and the umbrella falls over?  The proper thing to do is hold it in my hand and stay wide awake, no matter how long and uncomfortable the commute, or how many other items I’m carrying.   (For the record, sitting with legs crossed is extremely rude for women.  It’s okay when men do it, though.)

2.  Applying makeup on the train.  This is a big huge no-no here!  It’s almost akin to stripping off in public.  I wouldn’t dream of applying even lip balm in front of anybody else, it would be very impolite.  (For some strange reason,  reading pornography in public is perfectly okay though.)

3.  Wearing noisy clogs, especially in train stations.  The recent trend for mules means that a lot of young women tend to clomp-clomp their way around town, and especially up and down the stairs at the stations, which seems to annoy certain men.  One incensed commentator complains, “Some women wear those shoes to the office too!  Do they think they are on vacation at a seaside resort?”  How I wish!

4.  Talking loudly in bars, screeching shrilly.  Okay, I have to plead guilty to this one.  But if the men don’t like the sounds of women’s voices, then they shouldn’t hang around in places where drunken women congregate – just what do they expect?

5.  Refusing to move out of the way for others (presumably males) on the sidewalk.  A sure sign of the coming of the apocalypse.