Desensitized but I don't want to be
I f(23) went to a well known warehouse store to shop for some snacks in bulk for my students. As I rounded the corner to the snack aisle this older man (Probably mid 50s) makes eye contact with me and gestures a come hither motion with his hand. While doing this motion he says "Hey perk them up a bit" with a creepy ass smile on his face.
Mind you, I'm in a baggy t-shirt no makeup, nothing to attract attention whatsoever. I didn't even register what was said to the point where I just politely smiled because I thought he was making a small talk type joke. It wasn't until he walked past me that I stopped dead in my tracks to process what was just said to me.
As I'm sure all women have experienced something similar, it's not the first time something like this has been said to me. But it's the way I didn't even feel up to turning around, calling him out, fighting the injustice of it. I just accepted it. My bf (not present with me at the time) asked me later why I didn't report it and I didn't know what to tell him. It didn't even cross my mind because what would anyone even do about it?
I feel disgusted, but also too burnt out to care. How do you not allow yourself to grow desensitized to the disrespect? How as a woman in this world of creeps do you get rid of this "It is what it is mentality?" I feel desensitized but I don't want to be.