I often get asked (obviously by people who never go to auto shows) if any men work there. There are a ton of guys who do the same job I do, the exact same job I do, yet no one debates whether or not they actually know anything about cars or believes that they should accept being subjected to ritual sexual harassment because they happen to be physically attractive, right?
Trust and believe, they are subject to that same sexual harassment. It is on a lesser scale and they may usually find it less threatening and/or icky than we women do, but it is there.
A conversation I overheard at a show last week, between a female customer and a Booth Bro (imagine very flirtatious tone from lady and confused, then 'over it' tone from Booth Bro):
Lady (and I use that term loosely): "Don't you get tired of standing around in the same suit every day?"
Booth Bro: "Uh, this is a $1500 suit, so no, I'm pretty happy about it."
Lady: "So you just get to stand there and look good in your expensive suit?"
Booth Bro: "Yeah lady, that's all I do. Your husband's calling you."
I didn't get a look at her husband, but I wonder if that's because he was off somewhere hitting on a booth babe. Maybe they're swingers and were trying to pick up their entertainment for the evening.
I don't know what school of flirting this woman went to. Remedial classes, obviously. Despite her wildly flirtatious tone of voice, she managed to insult him not just once, but multiple times - first by implying that his job was boring, second by pretty much saying there was nothing else worth commenting about regarding his job other than his outfit, then by saying all he does is stand around and look good, and finally by subconsciously trying to emasculating two men: My coworker with all of these insults, and her husband by flirting with another man.
Thank god he wasn't wearing a skirt - she totally would have tried to stick her camera under it.
It's so obvious that people like this belittle you guys to make themselves feel better about their own sad little lives...
ReplyDeleteHave you ever done a show in Scotland? Do the women there try to put their cameras under a kilt?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to try the pose of the guy on the rear driver side at the Chicago show this week.
ReplyDeleteAre you here in Chicago already? Did you see the presentation of the Dodge vehicles by Ralph Gilles just now? I would buy one of those cars if HE came with it. for sure.
ReplyDeleteI usually lurk around here, but after the week I just had at my most recent show, and now seeing your post about insulting consumer comments... ugh, I have to share.
ReplyDeleteInsulting comments from last week alone:
"Wow, did you, like, go to college?"
"Do they require you to study this stuff?"
"So what do you want to do when you, you know, grow up?"
"Does your husband mind that you do this kind of work?"
"Do all you girls eat when you're working?"
"Hey, do you know when the new (xxxx) is coming out? Wait, never mind, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?"
And yeah, that was from one week. I've also been asked my age, my weight, my dress size, my degree, and my specific address down to the cross streets. People blow my freaking mind.
What happened there is pretty much standard American/Canadian girl flirting these days. I seem to get a lot of that.
ReplyDeleteI weep for our society.
yea, ace up the sleeve!
ReplyDeletefollowing!
http://piecesofkarp.blogspot.com/
What happened there is pretty much standard American/Canadian girl flirting these days. I seem to get a lot of that.
ReplyDelete