For ten years, I worked at the front desk of hotels. Many hotel clerks know that you often put up with the advances of me. They make comments, pass hotel keys back to you and ask you to come up later, and invite you out after your shift for ‘drinks’ quite often.
One night, I had to work late because someone called in sick so I covered until about 2am when someone could come in to relieve me.
While I was working, a very drunk man came in and proceeded to harass me. He stood at the desk, asked me very personal questions, commented on my breast size, and how I looked like I was be ‘a great lay.’ When I picked up the radio and called security right in front of him, he didn’t leave, he didn’t apologize, he just stood there and stared at me; trying to make me as uncomfortable as possible and intimidate me.
Security came up and escorted him off and when they came back to take the report for the shift log, you know what the officer said to me when I told him what the guy had done?
He laughed and said, “Ah. You should just take it as a compliment.”
The security guard said that to me.
My entire body shook that night when I walked out to my car that night. I was terrified the drunk guy could have followed me, but I was too scared to ask security to walk me out and be objected to his opinions on how I should feel about being harassed.
And that, is why I need feminism.
Not because men are bad. I love men. I have an amazing husband. But because when a man harasses you, there is always someone else (man or woman) who will justify that behavior and that is unacceptable.
