“Whatever happens, I’ll keep on fighting”

I’m writing to tell you about an incident which happened last week. I was working from home and needed to [run some errands] like pick up a parcel and pop into the supermarket and buy a few things for dinner. I decided to beat the lunchtime ‘rush’ and leave at 11 a.m. Anyway, I rounded the corner from my road into the main thoroughfare and there was a man walking by the bus stop; now I’m not normally a nervous or jumpy pedestrian but something about this bloke made me feel uneasy.

I walked by, trying to keep my expression as neutral as possible, but once he’d passed me he said loudly, “Make sure you don’t take your eye out with one of those!” gesturing towards my breasts. I shouted, “What did you mean?” and swore at him, but he turned onto my road and carried on regardless. What this man forgot was that he was wearing a reflective tabard with his company name printed on the back; I made a mental note of this.

I continued my journey feeling angry and upset – why had this happened? Yes, I have a large chest and men often stare, whatever I’m wearing. Quite frankly though, this doesn’t give people the divine right to comment, nobody in this day and age should be doing this. Women get a raw deal. I noted the recent ‘slut walk’ which took place in the centre of London which was women basically saying ‘I can wear what I like and stuff you.’

When I returned home I googled it, as you can imagine it’s a fairly common occurance and there are websites devoted to it: http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/ plus campaigns to raise awareness.

As for me, well I contacted the culprit’s company, and they were quick to respond and I must admit, I was impressed with the way they dealt with it. I answered all of the detailed questions. If the person isn’t caught, at least the company will highlight the need for their staff to behave in an appropriate manner. Whatever happens, I’ll keep on fighting and I’ll let you know how the situation develops.

– Jo

Location: Bexleyheath, Kent, DA7

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