Releasing Fear + Uncertainty
To this day, I have never put my phone number on a business card.
Long before the #MeToo movement swept the nation, I had handfuls of offensive to pretty damn severe instances of sexual harassment.
One of which came when I was seventeen years old. I set up at various arts and crafts shows, selling my handmade purses, shopping bags, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.
Most Saturday mornings I sat in the square of my small, beautiful hometown at the Farmer's Market, helping collect the money and organize the artist's in our own corner.
At a particularly large Arts and Jazz festival where I met hundreds of strangers throughout the day, I had created simple business cards that had my email address, Etsy shop, and phone number.
A couple weeks passed and my parents were at work.
Alone at home, I received a phone call. Upon picking up the phone I deep, low, creepy AF voice said they had met me at the Arts festival. They loved my work.
The conversation very quickly turned disgusting as a strange man asked me if I made custom jewelry. I did. Would I make it for him for "down there"?
My seventeen year old stomach dropped and recoiled and I flashed through my options: was this some kid from school, messing with me?
"What?" I asked.
He asked if I would make custom jewelry for his dick.
I hung up the phone and was not only disgusted, but also a little afraid.
I might not have thought anything about it until he called the next day.
Did people not block numbers back then? Not sure why I wouldn't have.
He called back the next day, equally creepy and inappropriate.
I called the non-emergency line of the police and had them trace the number.
It was coming from a phone booth in an abandoned parking lot in a crappy part of town.
He called one more time and I hung up immediately.
Perhaps to some this seems like an irrational fear to have had in the first place, but I imagine for most teenagers that would be at least a little bit disturbing.
Nine years later as I founded my first official company with the state of Ohio, I had a recollection of that creepy event and wondered if that attributed to my initial intense fear of putting myself out there.
Many times the creeps of the world had confirmed they were more than ready to arrive.
I believe that people need evidence in any scenario to accuse an abuser. However, I for one am grateful for this movement that has enraged many modern men and women… while I don't believe every single story, I have had enough disgusting encounters in my own life to have a wide shadow of doubt that some men are blameless.
A fear for one's safety.
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