Because of my new schedule, I'm required to ride a shuttle from a train station to my office. As well, I'm supporting not just the regular team I work with, I've been tasked with supporting another team as well.
In regards to the first ... I got on the shuttle the other day and managed to find a seat. There are two seats in each row and I got a seat near the aisle. As always the shuttle gets full and other riders end up in the aisle. This particular day was like the others, except for this one woman who when in the aisle, proceeded to rest her buttocks on my shoulders for much of the ride. And yes I did my best to keep my shoulders hunched and as low as possible, but to no avail. This woman kept resting it there. Maybe she was expecting I'd lift my shoulders up or look her in the eye or something (the paranoid side me of believes if I did that, she'd call me out as some sort of pervert or scumbag). And it wasn't as though the shuttle was crowded - she had some space in front of her. And it wasn't just her hip touching my shoulder - no. Her ass crack was on my shoulder, and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
The second case is even more messed up. As stated, I've been helping another team with their work, and the program manager was apparently so thrilled, she came up behind me and ran her hands across my chest, all the while caressing my back with her breasts. And thsi happend right in front of a director. She then 'thanked me' for making her day - a reference to the work I've been doing. What else was I do to - except say 'you're welcome'?
Now let's be clear - it's not like I'm sort of stud or have some sort of complex where I think I'm some sort of hot attractive guy. And I'm not a prude - but I don't like people touching me without my permission. Nor do I think either of these women likely saw me as such either. I think more than likely they were situations where these two women saw me as some sort of useful idiot they could take advantage of and that there wasn't much I could do about it. In other words, both situations were about power more than sex.
In both cases, I felt ashamed to be used. And while truly nothing serious in terms of trouble came out of either situation, it's a stark reminder to me that a double standard does sadly exist. Were the situation reversed and I did something like to two women, I'd be fired on the spot and rightfully so. But both were allowed to do what they did and get away with it. Sadly in a couple of years, both will likely be considered leaders - yay me.
In regards to the first ... I got on the shuttle the other day and managed to find a seat. There are two seats in each row and I got a seat near the aisle. As always the shuttle gets full and other riders end up in the aisle. This particular day was like the others, except for this one woman who when in the aisle, proceeded to rest her buttocks on my shoulders for much of the ride. And yes I did my best to keep my shoulders hunched and as low as possible, but to no avail. This woman kept resting it there. Maybe she was expecting I'd lift my shoulders up or look her in the eye or something (the paranoid side me of believes if I did that, she'd call me out as some sort of pervert or scumbag). And it wasn't as though the shuttle was crowded - she had some space in front of her. And it wasn't just her hip touching my shoulder - no. Her ass crack was on my shoulder, and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
The second case is even more messed up. As stated, I've been helping another team with their work, and the program manager was apparently so thrilled, she came up behind me and ran her hands across my chest, all the while caressing my back with her breasts. And thsi happend right in front of a director. She then 'thanked me' for making her day - a reference to the work I've been doing. What else was I do to - except say 'you're welcome'?
Now let's be clear - it's not like I'm sort of stud or have some sort of complex where I think I'm some sort of hot attractive guy. And I'm not a prude - but I don't like people touching me without my permission. Nor do I think either of these women likely saw me as such either. I think more than likely they were situations where these two women saw me as some sort of useful idiot they could take advantage of and that there wasn't much I could do about it. In other words, both situations were about power more than sex.
In both cases, I felt ashamed to be used. And while truly nothing serious in terms of trouble came out of either situation, it's a stark reminder to me that a double standard does sadly exist. Were the situation reversed and I did something like to two women, I'd be fired on the spot and rightfully so. But both were allowed to do what they did and get away with it. Sadly in a couple of years, both will likely be considered leaders - yay me.
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