It Happened To Me: I Was Sexually Harassed in a Train Station

What magazine was that feature from, Sassy? It was maybe 6pm in the evening and I was waiting for my train. There was a man standing about three feet from me. I'd purposely walked over and stood near him. While we were waiting for the train, two boys walked by us. They were probably in their late teens. One made a comment about my boobs as they walked. His friend didn't really even react. I didn't outwardly react either, although I wanted to. I didn't say anything back because it was two against one (and I was scared that I'd knock him onto the train tracks) and I was too shocked it had happened at all.

Here's what I would have liked to say: Really, Asshole? You think you're so cool to make a comment about a woman's body while walking by with a friend? You can't even walk without holding up your pants. Why don't you worry about your own clothes before commenting on how mine fit on my body? But even if your pants did fit your body properly, shut the fuck up. My body isn't here for your review and comments. Keep your comments to yourself. Nobody, not even your friend, cared about your opinion. Did you notice that? Take the hint. I guarantee if you had to stand against a wall silently I could make you cry with the things I could say about your body.

I'm now 38. I'm a big girl. This did not devastate or scare me. By tonight when I go to sleep, I'll have forgotten about it. I will easily move on from this experience. But you, Asshole? You'll be an asshole long after tonight. So even though you put me down, ultimately, you lose. 

Humbling

Today I applied for a job. It has a salary range. The highest end of the range is over $20k lower than my last job (GQ) paid, and he paid $3k less than Turkey did.

I'm not going to lie. It really hurts. It's a job in a law firm, so I spent at least an hour in bed last night whispering my answer to the interview question "why do you want a job that pays so significantly less than what you were earning before?"

It's hard to come up with a good answer.

1. Well look when I was working - clearly I can't be picky. (Attracts attention to gap in resume)
2. I want something lower pressure. (Being a legal secretary is not high pressure)
3. I wanted to try something new within the legal industry. (Attracts attention to my lack of experience)
4. I thought it would be fun to expand my experience. (Will they be offended that I want to use their job for fun?)
5. Ugh, because I am desperate and just need a fucking job for my mental health already! (Overshare)

So yeah. I need to prepare for an interview for a job that I both need and don't want. Oh, and the person who brought this position to my attention warned me they've had trouble keeping people in the seat because there's zero room for advancement.

But it pays significantly more than nothing. It even pays more than double what unemployment pays (which is no good for my mental health, plus provides no health insurance, plus runs out). So I will continue working to come up with an answer to why I want this job to be prepared for an interview (we're thinking positively!) and will make sure my attitude is right before walking in the office door.