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My First Job Was A Reality Check On Being A Woman
By Lisa Angelettie
While I was raised in the city, I was an only child and was quite sheltered, so my first job was a sort of "wake up call" in terms of how I was viewed (at least by some in the world). I was 16 and there was a local mall within walking distance from my home; inside there was a clothing store which carried a lot of trendy clothing - mostly for teens and young adults. There were a few of these stores in my city, all run by the same group of men - they were all brothers from another country. My boss had a very thick middle eastern accent, and since English was his second maybe even third language he spoke in incomplete sentences -- but just enough to make it clear what my job was. "Hang up new merchandise." "Re-fold clothes tried on." "Be here by 5." "Smile more at boy customers." It was the last request that threw me, and as I learned the ropes at my new job, I began to learn just how important "smiling" at the male customers was going to be. As you can imagine, all the employees were teenage girls except for one stock boy. We all had to greet customers, encourage them to try expensive items, get sizes for them, and pretty much "shmooze" them from the time they hit the entrance until they left. This was intensified by the fact that we all worked on commission, so the more personable you were -- the more your check reflected success. Not only was I shocked and uncomfortable with how I was being asked to do my job, it felt wrong. It didn't empower me, it made me feel "gross" inside. I suspect this was probably because I didn't like being made a spectacle of, nor was I that familiar with how to "flirt" relentlessly with grown me at 16, because of course those are the people who were buying. Not other 16 year old boys. This local chain of clothing stores still exists and is flourishing. Their formula works well, because when I walked by - it was the same routine. Young, pretty, teenaged girls - selling jeans to 22 year old guys who need a little encouragement. So there you go - my first valuable lesson of the objectification of women in the modern world - 101. Lesson learned. Class dropped! That's why I own my own business:-) |
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May, 2012
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