Onto the topic of rockin’ females!
Time and time again, the infamous quote that goes something like “MENstrual cramps, MENtal illness, MENopause…ever notice how all of women’s problems begin with men?” leads us to believe that men are the luckier of the sexes. Not only do they not have to deal with the misfortune that is a menstrual cycle and all of its lovely affiliates (i.e. child birth…), or, when they’re older, deal with menopause. Sure, they may have to put up with the rapid mood swings and hot flashes, but compared to being physically agitated by the symptoms, I think it’s safe to say that they’ve got it pretty good. Men don’t have to worry about what their hair looks like on a bad day – usually it’s so short there’s only so many different ways it can go. Once you get into longer hair, bed-head, blow dryers, straighteners, and ten different types of brushes become part of the daily repertoire. Nor do men have to care about masking the smallest of imperfections on their face, or making their eyes ‘pop’, or their lips ‘pout’…or whatever you want to call it. Arguments between the sexes occur on a regular basis as to who has it worse off. However, I have recently discovered that being of the female sex has wicked awesome advantages, too! Let me explain…
I work at General Motors; a HUGE proportion of the workers are male. When I am in on Mondays and Fridays, I am the only female in my group, which consists of approximately 30 people plus 3 students (myself being one of them, the other 2 being males). Now then, not only do I get more shifts than the other students (strictly due to seigniority and the odd bribe), but when I am on a job I get more attention than one can possibly fathom. I have team leaders that came from across the group just to say “hi” or to chat and see how the weekend went etc.etc. I tend to feel sorry for my partner, as other than on breaks, the full timers don’t go and “visit” their coworkers. On my shift on Monday I had 3 different team leaders come and talk to me, on top of 2 people I didn’t know, and a few other coworkers of mine. Makes me seem pretty popular, huh? Not really. It’s just the estrogen at work, which seems to help with passing the time rather quickly. During these conversations it is pretty obvious that the main underlying agenda is for them to “make a pass” at me. Naturally, who would have thought otherwise? Recently I was told that Guy A was “single for the week, as the wife and kids are at the mother-in-laws *wink wink*”…uhm, thanks…? But no thanks. Another time I brought in Amish Friendship Bread for the group…and I got told that I was lucky that Guy B wasn’t married. Hallelujah. It’s all fun and games though. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. Being female in a primarily male dominated atmosphere does have another advantage, though. When it comes to the actual work itself if I goof up (which rarely happens…I mean, come on, it’s me afterall) either my partner or team leader will be around to fix it before I can even say anything. If it’s a full timer or a male student…they’re pretty much on their own until they ask for help.
Females 1: Males 0.
A more recent example is equally awesome, and can be connected to other experiences in life, too. Today I bought a BlackBerry Tour, the same phone Dadda Heidi had bought less than two weeks ago. While in the store, the male sales associate helped me set up my e-mail account so that it goes to my phone, as well as put all of my SD, SIM, etc. cards in my phone. Then, as I was going to pay, he goes to the back and brings out a skin for the phone, “Pink?....or black?” he asks…I say “Black” of course…nothing pink will ever touch my phone/Internet/texting device/new life. Meanwhile, in my head I’m asking myself, “Oh dear, what is this thing going to add to my already rather large bill?” Moving on, he goes back again and gets a 2GB SD card, “Oh dear, do I really need this?” I think to myself again. I get the amount which I had to pay, which worked out to ~$282. “Hm, Dadda Heidi said he had to pay closer to $300 for his…” I thought to myself…but I wasn’t going to ask questions. When Dadda Heidi originally came home with his Tour it was in a black holster, so I thought that maybe they replaced the holster with the skin and memory card. Off I go with my new BlackBerry to meet back up with Dadda Heidi, happier than a pig in poop.
I see Dadda Heidi, and the first thing he notices is the nice black skin my new phone is encased in. “What did that cost you?” he asks. “Uhm, nothing?” I respond. He asked if I bought the SD card, and replied that indirectly, it had been given to me. After that he got frustrated. He had to buy his own SD card, and did not get a skin for his phone; he paid more for his phone, and received less. SUCKER!!! Later on I found the black holster in the BlackBerry box. Score! The girl that sold my dad his stuff gouged him, whereas the sweet, sweet guy who dealt with me gave me some pretty awesome (free) deals. Looking back, apparently V-necks are a females’ best friend. I should keep that in mind for the future.
Females 2: Men: 0
This can probably be extrapolated to situations with the police and tickets. I have never experienced or tried this out, and I don’t plan on it anytime soon *knocks on wood*. Guys, just hand over your drivers license and registration. Girls get a little more leeway on this…providing it’s not a female cop…then you’re screwed either way.
So ladies, when you get down about the so called crappy life of being female, think of the advantages that pay off (however small in comparison to the disadvantages). It’s not the whole world that’s against us, just a large proportion!
Ciao!
- a very texty Heidi
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