There is a special sub-category in this realm of comment.
Presumably, most often said to women veterans out of hearing of others, as I can attest to:
“Well, if the nurses had all looked like you, I would have joined up.” (Ugh.)
“I bet you enjoyed having all those men to pick from.” (Yes, of course, main reason I joined and stayed 26 years.)
“I would have served, but the services aren’t what they used to be with all the women and ‘others.’” (WTH?!)
“I didn’t serve because I would have been distracted by the women because I’d be worried about protecting them.” (Sigh.)
These kinds of comments are not as vintage as you might think, nor come out of the mouths of a certain generation. One of our plebe sponsor mids, who happened to be a male, earnestly asked me if I regretted not having focused on my primary God-given role as a a homemaker and being content in traditional roles in the family, and how my DH felt about it. I simply said “no” and reassured him God had a plan for me.
Human beings. Endlessly entertaining.