Equality Is Worth Fighting For

(One of my supervisors is an attractive, rather petite girl and fragile-looking, but at heart she’s a big tomboy and much stronger than she looks. She comes into to work one day with her hand bandaged and splinted, and it’s pretty obvious she did it herself. I’m helping a customer in her 40s with art supplies, which is not my area of expertise.)

Customer: *pointing at my supervisor* “What happened to her hand?”

Me: “I don’t know, ma’am. She just started her shift so I haven’t had time to ask her. Is there anything else I can help you find?”

Customer: “Do you think her boyfriend did that to her?”

Me: “No.”

Customer: *to my supervisor* “Oh, honey! What happened to your hand?!”

Supervisor: “Oh, it’s nothing serious. I’ll be fine.”

Customer: “Did your boyfriend do that?”

Supervisor: “No.”

Customer: “How’d it happen?”

Supervisor: *awkward smile* “Umm… Well, the short version is a guy hit me in a bar, and I hit him back… but I didn’t brace my wrist correctly.”

Me: “Oh, man, OW! You got a boxer’s fracture?”

Supervisor: “Yeah. I’ll be fine, though. The worst part was having to play piano with this splinted this morning.”

Customer: *horrified* “You didn’t let your boyfriend defend you?!”

Supervisor: *frowning* “I’m not seeing anyone, and even if I was, I was closer.”

Customer: “But you’re a girl!”

Supervisor: *trying to change the subject* “Ma’am, have you found all the art supplies you need today?”

Customer: “REAL GIRLS LET MEN DEFEND THEM!”

This story is part of our Women’s Equality Day roundup!

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