When I was 20 I worked for a manufacturing company as a receptionist. I answered to one of the senior (elderly) partners of the company who was actually a great man. The sales manager and sales staff were all men... not one woman at that time was in a position of management or sales/marketing. I was a pretty introverted kid at that time. The sales manager came into the copy room (very small room) and pinned me up against the copy machine where I was working. It took me by surprise. I grew up with an older brother who taught me how to fight so instinctively I turned and belted him. I had no idea who I had smacked, but when I saw it was a manager I was pretty sure I was going to be fired. Funny thing. Every single one of those little smirky sexist punks on that sales team started treating me with a heck of a lot of respect after that.
Good for you.
I’m NOT NOT NOT saying sexual harassment is a fiction, or that women ‘deserve’ to be treated with anything less than the complete respect all people deserve.
What I am saying is that there are harsh realities in life. If your response were more common back in the day, then the women of today wouldn’t even have to think about it, because women should treat any harassment anywhere with the same response.
My one area of disagreement, though, is about the ‘right’ of someone to work somewhere, or that they put up with harassment because they ‘need the job’ or whatever. If someone is harassing you, and you stop them, that person is still there, and you (or anyone) has to decide if that simple reality is acceptable.
I’ve left many jobs because of the conditions of the place, not having to do with harassment or such. That’s life—if you don’t like working someplace, leave. We should be taught that kind of self-respect.
“Atta Girl”