“Pick Me Girl” — The New Term Being Used to Shame Women
It’s not OK, and we need to stop it
A few years ago, I worked in the automotive department for a popular retailer. I was one of the few women who worked there, but I got along with most of my coworkers. I even asked a few of them if they could teach me about cars, and they taught me everything we did in the shop. I ended up changing oil, and even a tire or two. I even knew more than the new hires, so I helped with training them.
The shop had a rule that there always had to be two or more people in the shop in case of injury. One day, I was forced to work in the shop with a new hire who wasn’t certified yet. He wasn’t sure how to fix a flat tire, and I had to walk him through it.
As I was helping him, I noticed that the waiting room was full of older women, and they were all staring at me. I thought they were simply wondering when their cars would be ready, so I ignored them and helped him repair the flat tire.
The older women in the waiting room didn’t ignore me when I was finally able to take my break. One of them loudly declared, “Finally, maybe he can get some work done now that she’s not flirting with him.”
I felt as though they had slapped me in the face. How could they see me helping him with the tire and think I was…
