>>femfos+(OP)
If you are a woman you can easily counter this behavior by labelling it and saying that you don't have a porcelain skin. Bonuspoints if you laugh about a guy giving you super bad feedback and how this did not bother you.
Putting people at ease around you (especially customers) is a critical entrepreneurial skill.
You can't blame people for being cautious when a lot of people are buying into victim-narratives and convinced to act against their "oppressors".
>>cynusx+Gx
Good call! Candid and up-front declaration of openness, basically. The status quo is unfortunate but at least on the individual level it sounds like a viable approach.