How do you ladies handle it when men make comments or start leering at you?
It’s usually the construction workers who are the worst…and I don’t care if that sounds stereotypical. It’s true.
I usually ignore them or say something rude, but they never understand me anyway, and I don’t like being rude.
It really does bother me. I know that I stick out like a sore thumb here, but I prefer to just go about my day and do my own thing without being noticed.
I’m black in a land full of Chinese people.
They are going to stare at me. I know this.
I cannot avoid being stared at. I know this.
I accept being stared at.
I embrace being stared at.
My head is swelling with delusions of grandeur.
I am an anonymous celebrity. I smile and wave at my fans whereever I go. 
:bravo: nice way to approach life
i felt that way quite often when visiting tourist-free areas of the philippines,it’s weird at first but then you don’t realize anymore
for the OP,i gather you attract attention because you look good,so the comments are good/cheeky…
how about pretending it’s not happening or even better:relish the attention
there are many peoples in this world who are stared at for all the wrong reasons,they wish they were in your shoes 
Like Persephone, I too enjoy my local celebrity at times. I can walk up to my favorite restaurants or drink places and they know exactly what I want, my neighbors all speak to me in English, even the cheeky little high schooler who I sometimes meet up in the elevator, and I think it’s the main reason why I’ve bumped into more than 50 of my students and their families outside of school (as far away as Hualien) as opposed to the white teachers who tend to blend in a little more. Sometimes the families will pay for my bill just because they saw me out (has happened three times now). Sometimes being easily recognized has its advantages.
And the construction workers (I live right on Hsin Yi Road so I see them all the time), have gotten over their need to say something to me every time I walk out of my building. I suppose the stony, but aloof look has worked its effect.
dear gym rat,
someday soon you will be old. you will get saggy and wrinkly like everyone else. no one will even notice you (except other seniors perhaps).
so you might as well enjoy the attention now while you are still hot.
and don’t take it personally. they just think you are pretty, and they are stuck working around other smelly, sweaty guys all day working their asses off. let them blow off some steam. it has much more to do with them, than you.
i like the other comments: relish it, and/or be a duck-let it roll off your back.
enjoy these days, they will end eventually im afraid.
jm
Yeah, like John says: for a woman, the only thing worse than being leered at is not being leered at.
Look at it this way: a person complaining about considered sexually attractive, is like a person complaining about being rich. People stare at your wallet all the time.
[quote=“mod lang”]Yeah, like John says: for a woman, the only thing worse than being leered at is not being leered at.
[/quote]
I bet there’s a few women would disagree with this. I hate it when women leer at me. Makes me feel like I’m a piece of meat.
That’s a strong memory you got there Sandman. Actually it reminded me of being ogled and pawed by queens. Nothing worse.
HG
So, we don’t know why the OP is sticking out. Is it just because you’re a foreigner? Not such a big deal, IMO. Are you awkwardly tall and self-conscious about it? Well, that’s a problem anywhere then. Are you very attractive? What’s the big deal about that? But if you really, really don’t like to be looked at, there are tons of ways to make yourself look less attractive. I don’t care how beautiful a woman is, she can always tone herself down with baggy clothes, no make up, tomboy walk, etc.
For example, I know this really beautiful white girl in Taiwan. She does exactly that because she doesn’t like attracting attention. And it works.
Please, tell us more about why you think you attract so much attention and perhaps we can relate more.
I get it just because I’m a studmuffin. It make me feel like a piece of meat too. (Not haggis, something tasty.) I try to take the view that all those leers and suggestive comments on the MRT are beneath my notice. I mean, who are these people? What a bunch of sad nobodies! I really can’t be bothered making the effort to even let their inconsequential lust bother me.
Go ahead, stare. Drool. Call out, even. It just goes to prove that you’re unworthy.
That goes for you too, tash.
Very true.
Okay, I see your point about enjoying the attention while I’m still young. I think these guys are just bored…I’m sure they like my blond hair or something. But most of the jeers happen when I am out jogging, but there’s no way I’m going to run in baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I’d burn up! I sweat like a Westerner, and I prefer my tank top and shorts. So I guess I just have to accept the fact that I’m “asking for attention” by being an anomaly on this island. It’s been months since I’ve bumped into a female runner…especially one wearing shorts!
But I do feel like a piece of meat sometimes, and that drives me crazy. I’m married, so I think that makes me even more sensitive. The days of trying to attract the attention of young men are over for me.
Ok. It’s making more sense now.
You’re beeing stared at for several reasons. You’re attractive, blond and you run.
First one I won’t go into, just be happy you’re not ugly and live with it.
Blond… I’d embrace it if I were you. I’m not blond but I have a similar situation with being tall and I’ve learned to enjoy it, if people insist on calling me on it, I will have fun with them too. If it’s just staring, stare back at them assertively. If they try to touch your hair (I hear that happens too), touch their hair, I guess.
And the running part… that’s not going to change any time soon. Have you noticed what percentage of population does sports here? I’m not talking about how many have joined the gym, I mean, that actually do sports. Seeing a blond foreign woman run while wearing tight short pants is… well… just not common. Unless you’re jogging in a very urban area where the concentration of athletic-minded taiwanese and foreigners is higher. But, even then. I mean… blond, attractieve, hotpants… and if you have anything in common with Ironman’s avatar… then it’s even worse
No matter what it is, why don’t you just enjoy the fact that you’re in a country where you’re different? Like ImaniOU said, think of yourself as a celebrity 
You don’t sound that great to me. I wouldn’t be wastin’ my wolf whistles on ya. Ya scag.
Feel better?
[quote=“Gym Rat”]How do you ladies handle it when men make comments or start leering at you?
It’s usually the construction workers who are the worst…and I don’t care if that sounds stereotypical. It’s true.
I usually ignore them or say something rude, but they never understand me anyway, and I don’t like being rude.
It really does bother me. I know that I stick out like a sore thumb here, but I prefer to just go about my day and do my own thing without being noticed.[/quote]
You’ll get used to it.
Tosses hair
[quote=“Gym Rat”]Okay, I see your point about enjoying the attention while I’m still young. I think these guys are just bored…I’m sure they like my blond hair or something. But most of the jeers happen when I am out jogging, but there’s no way I’m going to run in baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I’d burn up! I sweat like a Westerner, and I prefer my tank top and shorts. So I guess I just have to accept the fact that I’m “asking for attention” by being an anomaly on this island. It’s been months since I’ve bumped into a female runner…especially one wearing shorts!
But I do feel like a piece of meat sometimes, and that drives me crazy. I’m married, so I think that makes me even more sensitive. The days of trying to attract the attention of young men are over for me.[/quote]
Gym Rat, where do you run? TW people, when they run, usually run in the park or on tracks on on designated places for running. One of my LE friends told me that he thinks its very odd that foreigners just run in the street. So you are also attracting attention by doing something odd here, even if it is a harmless activity.
You sound like you are new here. Look, you are blond, young, and attractive. Look around you. How many blondes do you see in a typical day? Three? Four? You should realize that some of the male population here dreams about western blondes and rarely has a chance to see one. So yes, they are going to stare at you. Just like a guy back home who dreams of Asian women but lives in a town with a very small asian population will stare at any asian woman who walks by. You are an object of desire here, the subject of fantasies. These men have grown up on western movies where a blonde is seen as the ultimate unattainable prize. You may not realize it yet, but YOU are exotic. This makes you exiting to them. Oh, and since they haven’t seen may young blondes in the flesh, you probably look just like some celebrity to them. Even if you don’t look like one back home, you look like one here. Just like any guys with blue eyes looks like Brad Pitt.
You should make friends with whatever TW women work with you and ask them for pointers on what is considered appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior towards women. Learn how the TW women deal with unwanted male attention and deal with it the way they do. Sorry I can’t give you more advice in this area, but I think that a lot of TW men have very strange ideas towards western girls. If you deal with things the way TW women do, that should help.
Also, your attire IS part of the reason you are being leered at (as opposed to being noticed). I understand it’s hot here, but a big baggy t-shirt might help. Better yet, have a t-shirt made that says “I love my husband” in Chinese.
Is it just staring or is it actual leering that would be considered inappropriate by a tw woman? I think you need to make some TW female friends here who can tell you what your best response should be. But be careful who you ask. A lot of TW women are insanely jealous of blondes for the same reasons I listed above. They grew up seeing Marily Monroe, Pamela Anderson, Jessica Simpson, etc. being held up as the ultimate icons of female beauty. It does bother them more than you think. So tread carefully, you don’t want to make them more jealous of you than they already are. Think about how an average-looking girl back home who didn’t get much attention would feel if a wildly hot asian girl asked them “oh, the men here just won’t leave me alone, don’t you feel sorry for me?” Make sure the TW girls you ask are very, very attractive and can sympathize. Better yet, find one who has lived abroad and knows what it’s like to be an “exotic” object.
Best of luck.