American beer blog Hop Talk have been featuring women bloggers to celebrate National Women’s History Month.
Today they’ve published my contribution, a semi-rant on the awkwardness of going into the pub on your own if you’re female.
Boak
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3 replies on “Moonlighting”
We all get pestered by wierdos in old school pubs – its nothing to do with gender. The oddballs don’t discriminate. Bless em.
Stonch — we’re not talking about oddballs jawing about the weather and the football, but ordinary lads, en masse, with three or four pints in them, who are trying very hard to cop off.
I suppose you can’t blame a drunk, randy lad for saying hello, but when he gets the brush-off and hangs around, thereafter it’s harassment and pretty intimidating, I imagine.
I’ve never been bothered in a pub when I’ve gone on my own, and I’ve certainly never been sexually harassed (possibly something to do with my looks, and my ability to generate a powerful six square metre “Fuck off” curmudgeon’s force field).
So I think gender — or at least perceived vulnerability — probably does come into it.
But even if it doesn’t, there’s an issue here if we want to make pubs a viable alternative to posh coffee shops — i.e. somewhere women feel comfortable going unescorted.
When I was an 18 year old barman I was once pulled right across the bar by my collar by a massive, crusty old merchant seaman, who proceeded to stick his tongue down my throat.
It was at the time absolutely horrible, but like so many things that seem upsetting at the time, it makes a good anecdote. Character-building, to boot.
It was a brilliant pub, by the way.