By saying that you are objectifying a person. Women have been mostly the recipients of these comments in public. Your wife may like it (some men AND women prefer to live in a society that directly empowers men and passively and subconsciously led women to believe that these microaggressions are "in good taste" if "done politely" and for the sake of "demure blushes"...

) BUT that gives men an increased authority and public approval to throw these comments to women at anytime and however they please, whether they like it or feel threaten or harassed by it (which is in most cases).
Also, I'm not trying to change your point of view, because given that I've read some of your posts I'd presume that your mindset seems to be on the conservative (and ehem, stubborn..

) side.
I think we need to leave generalisations out of this. You do
not speak for
all women. There's a difference between harrassment and mentioning somebody's good looks (
which always varies due to personal taste). If I say, as a woman, that a female skater is 'hot' (and I'm
not into girls) what does that make me? And what about women who fancy women and say something flattering about a girl, is that any different from a man saying/thinking that?
I'm making no secrets about the male skaters I fancy and I'm quite outspoken about this. So, any lads who feel harrassed and offended by it, please come forward

. Or any woman who feels that
no men should be subjected to such 'awful' harrassment of that kind (having compliments thrown at them) should also make their case.
I said it before and I'll say it again: In a sport where make up and costumes and appearance play such a huge role, it would be only weird not to mention the 'fanciability' of a skater, since we're all (men
and women) human. Most of all, they want to appeal to the audience otherwise they'd turn up in training gear and with no slap on. Which is fine by me.
The only time commenting on somebody's appearance is not acceptable at all is when it is in a negative or straightforward abusive way ("I'd like to ... her/him").
Edit: Just thinking about the gazillions of online comments on Instagram on their idols' posts... If I can't say 'you're gorgeous' anymore or #handsome then PC has spiralled out of control.