Touch me up, Buttercup
Imagine a middle-aged, slightly overweight and not very stylish woman, accused by a young, handsome male colleague of inappropriate touching. You can't, can you? Because, by and large, it doesn't happen. If it did, perhaps men would be aware of the sense of invasion, revulsion and even fear such incidents bring to women.
I thought that culture had been left behind after the days when I never left a female alone in the sub editors' room with a certain male freelance; when we had an MD who wasn't safe in his own office, never mind in taxis (note for the young: mothers used to categorise certain young men as NSIT - not safe in taxis). Those days are obviously not over, given recent goings on. Not those with teens and pre-teens, which are a very different thing, but the almost casual droit de senior colleague attitude of middle aged, slightly overweight, not very stylish men. Often they get away with it because they are senior, they could have fire power and, after all, who'd believe it of them?
Is it time to fight back? Now we can't smoke at work, stubbing out your fag on the wandering hand isn't an option but I did hear, on Radio 4, of the brave woman who responded "in kind". The male concerned backed off PDQ and that was the end of his antics.
A whole tube full of Smartie points to women with (perhaps not the best expression) the balls to try it.
I thought that culture had been left behind after the days when I never left a female alone in the sub editors' room with a certain male freelance; when we had an MD who wasn't safe in his own office, never mind in taxis (note for the young: mothers used to categorise certain young men as NSIT - not safe in taxis). Those days are obviously not over, given recent goings on. Not those with teens and pre-teens, which are a very different thing, but the almost casual droit de senior colleague attitude of middle aged, slightly overweight, not very stylish men. Often they get away with it because they are senior, they could have fire power and, after all, who'd believe it of them?
Is it time to fight back? Now we can't smoke at work, stubbing out your fag on the wandering hand isn't an option but I did hear, on Radio 4, of the brave woman who responded "in kind". The male concerned backed off PDQ and that was the end of his antics.
A whole tube full of Smartie points to women with (perhaps not the best expression) the balls to try it.