A comment on my post about feeling safe in Mexico made me think that I should write about what it feels like to be a woman traveling solo in Mexico. I’d been warned about the macho culture here and that men are prone to harassment and cat calling.
As a preface, let me just say that as an unattractive woman who has been overweight most of her life, I am unaccustomed to receiving any attention from men unless it’s negative. So I had no concerns about traveling solo to Mexico, believing myself to be fully immune to the kind of sexual harassment I’d been warned about.
Well, within days of the U.S. part of my trip I discovered that the weight loss apparently counts for something because for the first time in my life, I was getting positive comments from random men on the street. I wouldn’t consider any of it threatening or harassing, although I suppose it is inappropriate. It was a little bewildering because I still look and dress the same.
My first experience with Mexican men was walking down the main street in San Carlos every morning to get my coffee. Just about every single man I passed would say hello to me and smile. There was absolutely nothing inappropriate about the comments and so I would smile and sometimes say hi back. That was it. There was no catcalling, no sexual innuendo, nothing.
It’s been much of the same on Isla and in Maz. Yesterday in Maz, a guy on a motorbike actually honked at me, turned back, did a double take, elected to do an illegal U-ey, and came back up along side me and tried to chat me up. I said, “I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to chat,” and off he went. That was as close as I’ve come so far to the harassment I was told to brace myself for…
So all that to say, my experience so far as a single woman traveling in Mexico is positive. I feel respected, but am aware that I’m not invisible. Like anywhere else, I would be careful having too much to drink (and would watch my drinks), but I feel fine walking around Isla or Maz in a sundress.
It will be interesting to see if the situation is any different the day I go deeper into Mexico.
First, you are not unattractive. So stop that. But, I will agree on the weight thing. I have noticed in the many times I have lost and gained weight that once I get to a certain weight, I definitely get more attention from men. I’ve always thought it may be partially caused by the way I carry myself.
I’m just stating a fact that has been drilled into me. I’m shocked that the weight thing has made such a difference because I still don’t have the kind of shape that guys go for. The girls here have super round bottoms, heaving bosoms, and large hips, so I guess that someone with no curves would be rather exotic…
Probably more so, it’s your fair skin. I’m white as white, but in the Caribbean, I always seem to find men who flirt with me. More so when I’m on the thinner side.
If it’s my pastiness that’s drawing attention, that’s even more bemusing!