Why a Blog on Sexist Remarks?
At a wedding, Cynthia was introduced to one of her husband’s former associates (male). He leaned in close and said, “Where did you get those beautiful blue eyes?” Because of the setting, she made a joke and moved away from him. But the exchange stayed with her. Is that what you say to a woman you just met for the first time? How does one deal with sexism masked as a compliment, especially in the midst of an important occasion?
We began to e-mail about the subject. Then Steve went to a physical therapy appointment, and the male therapist joked that one of the advantages of his office for male patients was that there were “a lot of pretty girls.” Steve assumed the therapist meant his female staff, one of whom was present. He was startled and changed the subject; later he wrote saying that perhaps he needed training on how to respond to these comments in the moment.
But he also took action. He sent his therapist an e-mail to let him know that as a patient he would prefer not to engage in sexually oriented language in a professional environment. To the therapist’s credit, he called Steve to apologize profusely.
