 Goffman noted that "when men and women cross each other's path at close quarters, the male will exercise the right to look for a second or two at the female ... Civil inattention, then, can here involve a degree of role differentiation regarding obligations".Such a public double standard has been challenged by feminists, who resent the expectation that female appearance/behavior may be routinely commented on.Such behavior may then escalate into staring, stalking and insulting harassment, revealing the costs a breach of civil inattention may bring.