This might sound like a retarded question but I'm not the most emotionally attuned or even healthy person out there...

Do women provoke men because they find them attractive? Like talking shit about them or openly trying to humiliate/put down? Is this proof you are alpha and she wants to "bring you down" as a challenge?

How can you tell if women are mean because of physical attraction or because of other reasons (jealousy/hatred/revenge)?

I'm sort of in the middle of this situation at work... I work with a lot of women and though I'm usually nice to them (in a casual sort of aloof way) there are at least four of them whom I regularly catch talking smack about me behind my back. I've only been here for 3 weeks and they keep referring to me as a "she" and making negative comments that I'm rigid/stupid/laughable...etc and I often get nasty looks by the women. Sometimes the receptionists gives me a dirty look and she gets angry and calls me a "fag" when I leave. Other days she gives me a very wide smile like she just saw a rainbow or something.

Please explain this confusion. German computer here: error 404!