Stop Traffic

Before learning about intimate assault and the awareness campaign of USU and this class I had never thought of this experience being a form of sexual harassment An experience I had while working for a company during the summer. The main part of the building where I worked was on one side, the other area and parking lot was across quite a busy road. Myself, one other girl and a male co-worker were carrying a few boxes across to a car. We went to the sidewalk to wait for a clear road. The male co-worker obviously getting impatient turned to us and said “Oh you two are hot, get up to the sidewalk edge cars will stop for you.” I didn’t move, rolled my eyes at him and turned to see if the other girl was also annoyed at the ignorance of his comment. But she looked at the ground and acted as if she hadn’t heard him. My turn “No, I won’t I am not a human traffic signal and I don’t like being asked to use my body and looks for your personal convenience.” Whether or not cars would have stopped is not the point. The bigotry and ignorance is. “Shouldn’t I be flattered that I have beauty to “stop traffic”?” In no way, to me should that be taken as a compliment and his comment was out of line.