I agree, as said above, it is systematic. Women navigate the world under the male gaze. We are supposed to be attractive, accomodating and to prioritise men's egos at all times. Looking at the wider societal context in which we women live. I have been questioning for the past few years, are women actually allowed to enjoy themselves in society? Such as, going out for a coffee and danish, collecting a parcel, buying a book, dancing on a night out, walking around a shopping area, making myself small on public transport because a bloke is manspreading. These are normal things, that a woman should be able to do without being harassed. ln these contexts l have experienced a range of controls from men, ranging from sexual assault, blocking my path, comments to go elsewhere, the head to toe body scan, accompanied by the look of simultaneous, invitation and threat. I'm a middle aged woman, usually covered from head to foot, not that it matters what lm wearing. I had 3 of these incidents yesterday.
This particular thread, is about a young woman, dealing with a man by herself, at her home and the man 20 years her senior crossing a social boundary into sexual innuendo.
To address the issue of, if the slippers were novelty ones. I have resisted this as, it doesn't matter what she was wearing. It's not about her. She did and has done nothing wrong, that's the whole point of this argument.
If you think his comment was innocent and bants, then you would think that it is OK to say to an older woman at a bus stop who was wearing a colourful scarf, "Sexy scarf". If you think the driver's comment was normal, then you could go into a store and say to a retail assistant, 20 years your junior, who was wearing a Christmas jumper and say "Sexy jumper". It sounds wrong, because it is wrong. The context in which it might be normal may be, if your lover was wearing flannel pyjamas with rudolf heads on, then you might say, "sexy pjs", because you are in the context of an intimate relationship. It suggests sex. You wouldn't say, "Sexy dressing gown" to a child would you? because, it's adult content.
That societal barrier that we have to protect each other is removed when lovers agree to consent to that. As with all harassment, it is very simple, it's about consent, the driver broke a social code and entered the intimate realm without her consent.
The poster above, 'Current Events' whose 13 year old daughter, with a neurological condition, who was harassed by the postman, that was absolutely disgusting behaviour from him, and is in the category of child abuse. No, l'm not clutching my pearls.
The question in the original post was, has anyone been harassed by a delivery man? There is enough evidence on this thread, to have found that there is a pattern of harassment by delivery drivers against women and girls, on their own at their doorsteps. That's what the question sought to prove. Mission accomplished, unfortunately. This is totally unacceptable. We need to speak out about this. Thank you to the people who have shared their stories. Thank you to the supportive voices. I have heard very astute comments, it is a privilege to participate in this debate. Stand up together sisters, to create a world that has dignity, liberation and hope for our daughters and the women we love.