A
female
age
26-29,
anonymous
writes:I live in Michigan and it is starting to warm up out here. On Saturday I wore my shorts (they are a short athletic style) and a t-shirt. I had some errands to run and some of the looks and comments I got were very strong like Hey Baby nice ass! and are you wearing any underwear under those little shorts? I have worn them last year and nobody said a word. Why is it different this year?
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female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (1 May 2013):
 maybe your ass got nicer over the winter?
A
male
reader, Serpico +, writes (30 April 2013):
Cabin fever.
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A
female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (29 April 2013):
 Yes, Cindy :) Michigan went from around 0 degrees to about +18-20, spring finally showed up ( been a LOT of snow from January til April basically).
I have noticed (as a European living in the US) that it really doesn't take much before the shorts/summer dresses come out. When we lived in Louisiana people who lived there would be wearing long pants and anyone from Northern states would throw on shorts when the temps hit 55+ :)
So yes, it's not uncommon for people (in MI) to toss on shorts at the first sight of "warm" temperatures.
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A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (29 April 2013):
 Is it warming up in Michigan ?? SO warm to go around town running errands in short skimpy shorts ?..
Look, I live in an area of Italy with a nice, temperate climate. It's a gorgeous spring,roses are blooming, etc. a it's around 75 degrees today , and nobody, I mean nobody- not even the most die hard , rugged ,comfort- minded tourist would go around in such attire , unless they were actually running or jogging or training for a race.
I mean, imagine in Michigan. They may have thought that your outfit is a bit over the top and unrelated to climatic circumstances ( and to the places were you are wearing it ) and that if you are wearing it, it is because you want to show off , you WANT to attract attention on your shapely legs etc, and you'd welcome compliments.
People are bound to notice and , while of course I agree that if they were well mannered people they should have keep their admiration mute and just paid mental hommage, but , not everybody goes by the same rules and etiquette, and these guys would have thought you'd welcome the comments , or maybe even befishing for them.
This, I know, does not answer your question why it did not happen last year. It could be , I guess, just out of sheer coincidence , maybe last year you just have bumped into people who were too shy or polite or absentminded to comment. Or , it may be , because at your age a body can change a lot from one year to the next. Maybe yoor body has matured , has taken a more womanly , sensual shape, you fill out better those shorts , even without having gained any weight. Maybe you just look " older ", you've lost that asexual , off- limits aura, that's not really a matter of size. There are girls of 13 that have the same height and weight of a woman of 20, yet do not elicit the same response ( except in pedophiles obviously )
Go figure. But if the comments bother or worry you, I too vote in favour of covering up a bit more, and no, it's not an issue of feminism and of bowing down to male predatory instincts. It's just a matter of ....being dressed right for the circumstance , I guess. Of course you can wear all you want when you want, by why would you WANT to show up at your bank in a bikini , and if you do,well, then deal with the reactions !
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A
female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (29 April 2013):
It's been a long hard, cold winter in MI with lots and lots of snow and then loads of rain, people tend to go a little nuts when the first REAL spring weather shows up.
If you feel comfortable in the shorts, wear them and ignore the comments.
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (28 April 2013): "It is the 21st century so ignore the sexist comments below suggesting you are asking for it by wearing those clothes. That is as disgusting as suggesting a girl deserves to be raped because she wears a short skirt. "R1 nobody is claiming that a girl deserves to be raped or is asking for leering comments because she is a wearing short skirt. What some of us are saying is that we should have the right to wear whatever we want without harassment but sadly that's not how things are. I have the right to wear a pair of horned rimmed glasses, a floral shirt, spotty bow tie and braces, but if I did I would be singled out for ridicule by ignorant, selfish people. If asked other how to avoid this they would tell me to tone down the outfit and be more conservative. Would that be sexist? no!A woman should have the right to walk alone down a dark alley at night without being raped, abducted or assaulted but there are too many horrid people wanting to take away that right. Its not about being sexist or suggesting someone is "asking for it", but about people protecting themselves from unwanted attention.
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A
male
reader, C. Grant  +, writes (28 April 2013):
 In places with serious, prolonged winters you can go for months without seeing anything more than people's faces and hands. An outfit that doesn't draw a second glance in September becomes pretty amazing in the spring. Folks who live in warm climates may think I'm full of it, but I notice it myself every year. Seeing someone in shorts after six months of bulky parkas is pretty amazing.
That's not to say that I'm condoning the really inappropriate remarks you overheard. Just trying to explain why you might be getting more attention now than six months ago.
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A
female
reader, R1  +, writes (28 April 2013):
 You are free to wear whatever you want. It is the 21st century so ignore the sexist comments below suggesting you are asking for it by wearing those clothes. That is as disgusting as suggesting a girl deserves to be raped because she wears a short skirt.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (28 April 2013): If you have a good figure and wear skimpy clothes then you are bound to get comments from men. So, if you don't want the comments, don't wear the skimpy clothes.
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A
male
reader, CMMP +, writes (28 April 2013):
Well, did your butt grow? If not you just ran into some guys who aren't afraid of giving out sexual compliments to strangers.
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A
female
reader, Got Issues +, writes (28 April 2013):
 I agree with Sage Old Guy. There is no need to wear really skimpy clothes. I'm not a prude but I like to cover my ass in public. Most girls who wear skimpy clothes do so because they want the attention, then get "annoyed" when guys comment (but even more annoyed if guys don't comment). I'm not saying don't wear what you want, by all means go ahead, but if you get comments it's because you are wearing tiny clothes.
One of my friends wears extremely small miniskirts to work in the summer when it's hot. When guys leer at her and make disgusting comments to her on her way to work (which they shouldn't, but do), she gets really angry. Her reasoning is always, "It's hot, do they expect me to cover up from head to toe?". No, but there is a happy medium. There are modest summer clothes, too. It's possible to keep cool, look nice and cover up a little bit all at the same time.
If it bothers you, you know what to do.
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A
male
reader, Sageoldguy1465 +, writes (28 April 2013):
 What's different is that, this year, you happened to encounter some more-roguish and cruder creeps than you did last year.....
HOWEVER, consider just HOW you appear in scanty shorts... and WHAT IS THE MESSAGE that "others" may believe that you are sending....
Is there any reason NOT TO BE a little more modest when you go out in public?????
Good luck....
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