Rather than talking about "taboos," which sound sort of mysterious and arbitrary, let's take a look at why commenting on her gender wasn't the best thing. Firs

Rather than talking about "taboos," which sound sort of mysterious and arbitrary, let's take a look at why commenting on her gender wasn't the best thing. First I have no doubt that the original comment up there, commenting how it's odd to see a woman involved in such a hobby, was made completely innocently! But even if something is both correct and innocent, it's not always like... the best choice. It was off topic for sure and more to the point, it winds up simply reinforcing the stereotype. Imagine a comment along the lines of, "oh -- a black valedictorian! don't see that often!" Awkward at best, and the fact that you're pointing out the perceived exception to a perceived stereotype is evidence that you're kinda bought into the stereotype.