"This has gotten me into many dangerous situations, and I am now more careful around strangers..."

"I once worked in a department with a male coworker (we had a totally professional relationship) who was married to a woman in another department. She instantly disliked me. 

Well, we were all chatting one day, and he and I realized we loved the same nerdy book series. She was very rude and distant after that, and I realized that even talking to male coworkers about READING could be misinterpreted as flirting."

"My fitness class/gym rule is to wear everyday clothing, just in case I need to fight in them. This can include sweatpants, scrubs, jeans  (being able to stomp someone's ankles or kick them in jeans is possible), or other long pants — this also prevents potential upskirting, so it's a bonus against certain men.

Shorts and skirts are a 'no' because I want them to include some level of resistance in exercise too."

"I've had a few middle-aged male customers decide that this was a clear invitation to them, to the point where one of them started stalking me, and the police had to get involved. 

"I don’t have (or currently want) a boyfriend; I simply can’t see my homework/classwork with my hair in my face. 

I hate that I had to change my hairstyle so I wouldn't be labeled a hopeless flirt. "

"My boyfriend wants me to get back into it, but he doesn’t understand how hard that is when I was essentially punished for existing. 

I’ve started lowering my vocal pitch when I work with men, too, because my customer service voice is apparently 'flirty.' 

I also refuse to wear any nail polish that a man compliments because of a man who told me that my black nails were 'tempting' him and that I was 'lucky' he had self-control. It’s been eight years, and I still won’t touch black polish. "

"Maybe you're a riot, maybe you should try stand up, and maybe, just maybe, it's important to love yourself (jokes and all) before signing up for Hinge..."

"They always respond with 'Well, does your boyfriend like sports?' He doesn't, but that’s not exactly any of their business. 

So now, I've quit talking about sports, which is unfortunate because it’s something women need more representation in."

"I don’t have to give out compliments, and the few people who know how to respond do tend to look happier afterwards, so I want to do so, but I don’t want it to be weird."

"I’ve become very antisocial at work after being severely harassed, and managers got involved when I tried to avoid it. The reason a coworker said he tried to grope me is that he felt 'sad for himself,' and because I’m nice, he thought it would be okay."

"However, I have learned from experience that men do not see my smile as friendly but rather as an attraction. If I smile, nod, or wave at a man, they will actively cross a crowd to come over and try to give me their number or start a conversation. Spoiler: I'm not flirting, I just want to make the world a little brighter.

Honestly, this has gotten me into a lot of dangerous situations, and I am now more careful smiling at strangers."

"I did that with all my friends, women and men, but the men took it as a sign that I was in love with them because you apparently only remember those things if you're in love with someone, which made me roll my eyes. 

Now I play dumb every time and whenever they bring up something about themselves, no matter how many times they've told me before, I say, 'No way, I didn't know that!' No one has accused me of leading them on ever since I stopped."

"I’m not sure when that shift in society happened, but it’s not cool. "

"It is absolutely tragic the sheer number of men who tell me to 'Have a good night' the moment my husband shows up. Oh, so you weren't okay with just the conversation? I get that some may see it as a sign of respect for him, but that's still BS. 

I'm a grown woman who's capable of making my own decisions about talking to other people."

"It also prompted lots of unwanted, inappropriate comments. "

"When someone is dumb enough to flirt with me anyway, I say, 'I am not receptive to that type of attention,' and will repeat it until they back off. I NEVER do any small acts of kindness or smile at any men, nothing. 

I feel like I have to hide the real 'me' to stay safe and not be bothered by random male attention."

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.