Relieved to see a woman

The other night I was staying in a hotel, on my own. I decided not to eat in the hotel restaurant to avoid potential male attention (lone woman in a hotel etc), so I ordered room service.

I didn’t even realize how uneasy I was feeling until I heard the knock on the door, opened and saw a woman delivering my meal. I felt relief because I didn’t have to let a strange man into my hotel room. I immediately relaxed and smiled at her and realized she had the same reaction to me – she had no idea who she was delivering the food to, and when she saw me, she had the same exact reaction – visible relief, smile, relaxed body language.

I can only imagine what she has experienced working in the hotel, delivering food to male strangers…

It was almost touching – they way we both immediately knew nothing bad was going happen to us the moment we saw we were women.

And then it hit me how fucking outrageous it is that we, woman, must always feel on edge because men are on the whole NOT TO BE TRUSTED. How wonderful it would be to live without the constant threat of male violence and harassment.