8.
“When I was in my early 20s, I worked for the VA hospital in the surgical services administration, where all the head surgeons had their offices and residents came through for meetings and mail. My desk was right by their mailboxes. I was constantly dealing with residents saying sexist things to me, asking me out, and distracting me from my work. It was like they thought I was employed as an ornamental figurine to look at. I was pulled into HR for my outfits (early 2000s — I wore a lot of long skirts) being ‘too sexy.’ The only skin you could see, aside from my wrists and ankles, was from my neck up. I’m small — 5’1″ and 95 pounds. No part of me, especially my chest, sticks out. But yes, I was still the problem for ‘being too distracting.’ I also had the married-with-kids cardiothoracic head surgeon constantly harassing me. But again, my fault for distracting him.”
“I ended up quitting over the constant harassment, especially when comments were made that I ‘got a job there to marry a doctor someday.’ The audacity. And that was just my division. I was also sexually harassed by the hospital security guards on a regular basis.
As women, we are just supposed to ‘take the compliment.’ NO. Treat us like the human beings that we are. I came here to work, not to be harassed or to look for a husband. It’s so infuriating to be treated that way, regardless of how intelligent or capable you are. It all boils down to being in service of men.
FUCK. THAT.”
