I’ve had a couple of guy friends bring it up unprompted recently – both separately expressed that it genuinely matters to them to be someone women feel at ease around, not just physically but socially too.
It made me curious whether this is something men think about more broadly. Is being perceived as safe and trustworthy something men actively value or aspire to?
And on the flip side — for men who do make women uncomfortable, whether they’re aware of it or not, do they tend to recognize that about themselves?
Additionally / edit: I posted this because I was thinking about both mine and some of my friends’ exes, who have harassed, abused, stalked, r**ed, and hurt women. I think of these men, then I think of other men that have expressed seriously wanting to be perceived as “safe” and a “protector”, and I wonder – do these men understand that they hurt women?
Does this not damage their sense of self, knowing what they’ve inflicted on other people, let alone women and *only* women? It’s so wild to me.