Generation Sex

(For context, I’m a 26-year-old woman, and I guess I look somewhat young for my age. I’ve had people confuse me for a teenager in the past. This is something that I generally joke about being a good thing that I’ll love once I’m older. My boyfriend and I have just had a condom break on us, and even though I’m on birth control, we decide that the smart move is to drive over to the pharmacy to pick up a morning-after pill. Neither one of us is remotely ready to have children and we figure it is better to be safe than sorry, so we want to exercise all available precautions. Once at the pharmacy, my boyfriend leaves me to wait in line behind a middle-aged woman while he goes in search of a new box of condoms. He has become so paranoid about this situation that he has thrown out the box that the broken condom came in and wants to replace it with a new one. The lady in front of me finishes dropping of her prescription and sits down in some chairs nearby to wait for it to be filled.)

Me: *to the pharmacy worker* “Can I get the morning after pill, please?”

Employee: “We have two options: [Name Brand] or [Generic Brand]. They are equally effective; the [Generic Brand] is just $20.00 cheaper.”

(The middle-aged woman humphs heavily behind me as I indicate that I’ll go with [Generic Brand]. I ignore the lady and proceed to pay for my medication.)

Middle-Aged Woman: “That’s the problem with today’s youth. None of you are responsible because your parents didn’t raise you with any values. Now you’re racing to give yourself a miscarriage because you don’t want to face the consequences of your actions. You shouldn’t be allowed to buy that without your parents’ consent.”

Me: “That’s not how this medication works. Do your research before you open your mouth so you don’t sound so stupid and ignorant. I’m a 26-year-old adult and don’t need my parents’ consent, let alone yours, to take care of my body the way I see best. It’s your generation and not mine that’s fluffed up. It is because of people like you that women are afraid to speak up about their bodies, learn about their bodies, and seek help when they think something is wrong. There is no shame in my choice to look out for my body in this way and no stranger in a random pharmacy is going to change my mind.”

Middle-Aged Woman: “Well, I never! You are so disrespectful talking to me like that.”

Me: “You chose to enter into a conversation with a stranger in a rude and condescending manner. You should not be surprised when the same type of response is thrown back in your face.”

(I thanked the pharmacy worker and walked off to find my boyfriend so we could buy the rest of the things we needed.)