Forum, Dec. 13: Harassment is all too common
Published: 12/12/2020 10:00:16 PM
Modified: 12/12/2020 10:00:14 PM
Harassment is all too common
Halloween night this year found me at work and dressed as Rosie the Riveter: denim, heels, the iconic red bandana. I was busy stacking clean glasses behind the bar top when someone said: “Hey, Barbecue! Are you a sweet sauce, or are ya spicy?”
Two men were grinning at me from across the counter. I remembered the patch on the front of my shirt, which said “Atlanta’s Best BBQ,” so “Barbecue” must mean me. “Ha-ha,” I responded unconvincingly. I can hardly breathe for laughing. I’d been startled, though unsurprised, by the rude behavior; I had seen it before, and I will see it again. Perhaps Halloween night stands out to me because of the irony: There I was, dressed as a feminist icon, receiving unsavory comments from a couple of drunk men. “Sweet or spicy?”