Honestly, this is often no more than online street harassment. People who do it--in my case, almost entirely men--are often simply responding to what they perceive to be a pretty face and/or body, and they then--since we are so often simply sexual objects waiting for their male attention in their minds--attempt to hit on us. With older men who do this, there is also sometimes an element of the men attempting to prove they still got game, which is why such men tend to go after women who appear significantly younger than they are, usually in their late teens to late twenties, and often women who also are pretty and give off some vibe of vulnerability or availability (in their mind), both of which usually simply mean femininity but can also connote shyness, aloneness, nervousness, etc. Indeed, I have been harassed disproportionately so far by older men, and it is usually exacerbated by how I have presented myself--most harassment comes when I am wearing overtly feminine clothing and noticeable makeup. None of this means, obviously, that looking like that grants them a reason to harass you, since they should not, but I know that how I choose to go out or how my Facebook/Twitter profile looks like will determine, to a degree, how much I am likely to be harassed. But I am proud to look the way I want to look, as should a pretty woman like yourself, so I simply accept this as a fact of life in the real world and online.
So, take it as a positive in that you are clearly pretty to them (and you are!). Harassment can be affirming in an ironic way, at times, even as it is more often than not also demeaning, sexist, and even endangering. But also always be aware of yourself. You are under no obligation to respond to these random strangers at all. Responding can give them power over you even if you say no. Ignore them unless you feel compelled to shut one down for rudeness.
Quote from: awilliams1701 on June 19, 2015, 03:43:50 PM
I'm looking forward to this happening to me even if I don't like guys. I'm not quite there yet. However I recently got someone to do my eye makeup (its in my avatar, but the picture doesn't do it justice compared to how it looked in real life) and I wanted to jump the girl in the mirror. I looked that good. Unfortunately I haven't been able to duplicate the results on my own and most days I don't wear makeup since I already have a hard enough time getting to work by 9 anyway.
Be careful what you wish for. Yes, the attention can be affirming. I used to think it was mainly complimentary at first. But then I experienced how terrifying and power-denying it can be to be harassed, especially when you are alone and when your unpassable voice is not your friend, since revealing you are trans* can get you in physical danger from the very man who approached you. Moreover, harassment, once it begins, really doesn't end very easily. It can be overwhelming--men saying demeaning things to you down this block, that block, that block, etc. And when you are unable to move because you are at a traffic intersection or against a wall or in an enclosed space and you are being propositioned by someone much larger than you--all of which I have experienced--you may not be enjoying it anymore.
It can be affirming--but it can be much, much more. Just be careful, since we trans* girls are almost always more at risk in these situations.
