Men who hit on solo women on the beach

The other day I was relaxing on the beach.  It was mid-week, I was off, and there were not so many people about.  Safe social distancing was also in practice and people were all spread out.

There was an attractive woman not 20’ from me, reading, occasionally on her phone, just relaxing and enjoying herself.  Some guy came along and put his towel down not all that far from her…sure it was 6’, but on a beach where he could just as easily have been 100’, it was clearly an intrusion of her personal space.

What followed made his intentions clear.  He started to try to chat her up.  He was telling her how “hot” she was.  I felt terrible for her.  She obviously just wanted to read her book and relax.

He was persistent and pestering, even when she asked him to leave her alone, and also to not sit so close to her.  He was somewhat aggressive, insisting it was a free beach, that he was at a safe social-distance, that he could sit where he liked. Toxic masculinity in action once again.

I’m not really all that big, plus wearing a bikini doesn’t make me look like Charles Atlas.

I called out to her, “Excuse me miss,” I said, and at first she was like, another person to bother her.  I just said, “I’m here okay,” and then I looked at him.  She smiled and then picked up her book.  He looked at me and called me something I won’t repeat.  I picked up my book.  Ten minutes later he left.

For the rest of the afternoon peace reigned.

What kind of man thinks this is an acceptable way to behave?  Where on earth does this come from?