Thursday, May 27, 2010

I don't know if I'm more humiliated or outraged that my co-workers are constantly trying to upskirt me.

I went on an out of town job with a co-worker who I also consider a good friend. He's three times my age, but we both watch and love Bones, and we like the same music and he's got kids my age, and he's just a fun conversationalist.

On the way out to Taylor, which is a small farming town about forty minutes outside of Austin, he somehow drifted to the inappropriate things that happen at the South location of the family owned business we work for, and while discussing the way the nicely endowed ladies over there dress, I made a point of saying that I wear dresses to work, but they're knee length and work appropriate.

That's when Creamcicle (so named because of the color of his shirt) told me, "You need to get some banners or something to hang from your desk, because the guys from the South store are always talking about how they try to look up your skirts when you're sitting there."

Of course, I was outraged and shocked. I talk to all of the guys from the South store when they come in. I consider them all friends and fun to talk to, and I trust them to behave professionally. When I pressed Creamcicle about which guys in particular, he told me, "All of them, but the one I hear it from constantly is Ed."

Ed.

He used to work at our store. We talk all of the time, we've even gone to lunch together a few times. He stops by on Mondays on his way out to Lago. He's one who I never would have thought of as a pervert. But it makes sense. When he comes by the store, he never moves in past the front of my desk. He always stands as far back from the desk as the drums will allow him. He never talks to anybody else. He only stays for a few minutes...except on the days that I happen to be wearing a dress.

Now, I cross my legs habitually from my younger days when I only wore dresses, even when I'm wearing jeans my legs are crossed. The odds that he, or anybody else, has ever managed to see up my shirt are pretty slim. But just the idea that I'm being sexually harassed and I didn't even know it really bothers me.

I was off Wednesday, but first thing I did this morning was tell Manger Man that I needed banners for my desk. He asked me why. Well, I'm not one to beat around the bush or lie, so I told him point blank what the guys were up to, and that I was angry and humiliated and I felt like it's not fair that I'm sexually harassed and TALKED ABOUT by male co-workers at the other store just because I'm feminine and like to wear dresses.

He told me to take whatever banners I wanted, and he apologized for not knowing. The guys from my store weren't surprised, and informed me that I'm referred to as "the hot blonde" and "totally fuckable" and all sorts of degrading things by the guys at the other store who have never bothered to get to know me but have seen me sitting at my desk.

There's a big part of me that wants to go to the owner about this. I feel like the issue should be addressed. But I don't know if I I want to go through the trouble.

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