Lifting while female

I was working out today at the Rains center at Pomona. Because I had the audacity to be a woman at a gym, this older (late 60s) white man, who was teaching a lifting class, kept swirling near me and looking at me, but not talking. Eventually, he came up to me and commented that he had “never seen anyone lift that way before” and continued to give me unsolicited advice, like “If you were lifting heavier you probably would want to [do it this way].” Even as I switched machines and movements, he would continue to hover. Eventually, after I finished a movement that required balance, he came over and said, “I was worried about your balance, but you actually look like you know what you’re doing.”
This happens all. the. time. Across gyms, cities, race, and age of men. Regardless, it took me until the end of the day to reflect on this and understand why I had been unusually shy and self-conscious for the rest of that day.