Brynna Tebbe
The First Woman Manager
Dear Society,
Everyday walking into work as an independent, hardworking, and strong woman is hard to do. Working at a grocery store as a stock clerk is considered a “man’s job.”
What did you do wrong to be lifting all that heavy stuff?
– Just because I am a woman and a stock clerk does not mean I did something wrong to have this job.
When we try to fight back against such pathetic and putrid behavior we get judgment thrown down on us. There are men in this world that believe that women are to be the housewives and shouldn’t have a job. Older men are stuck in this way of thinking, because in their time that is what most women agreed to. It is unbelievable that they think the times haven’t changed. They think that because they are old that it is okay to say whatever is on their mind.
Shouldn’t a guy be helping you lift all that milk?
– No it is my job to stock the milk. What does it surprise you that a girl can be strong enough to do a man’s job? Asshole.
We need to realize that the violence and harassment of women in the workplace is a big problem. According to new poll data from the Center for American Progress and Elle Magazine released on Monday, August 9 2013, “Nearly 30 percent of women report experiencing discrimination in the workplace.” On a daily basis woman are objectified and harassed based on what they wear and how they act, etc. We cannot walk down the street without being made uncomfortable by some man calling out to us or staring us down.
How come they made you come out here to get these carts?
– (After giving him a dirty look, and a fake smile I say politely) No sir I like doing the carts. I do get paid to do so.
To live in a world where females annually make less than a male is depressing. No matter how much we fight this “patriarchal society” that we live in, we continue to be oppressed by it. Our world is full of hypocritical men who say that women should be equal to them, but they then act like they are superior to us.
Why are you filling the milk, I only ever see the guys filling it?
– I am here every day sir, I fill this cooler more than the other stock boys.
It is questions like these that I put up with on a daily basis at work. I am so sick of hearing these questions every day. I struggled for 6 months at my current workplace to get to where I am at on the stock schedule. Right now I am always considered for extra hours and am asked to stay late almost every day. My boss has even offered me a manager’s position that is currently being processed. If I get this position not only will I have been the first woman to get on stock in our store, but I will also be the first woman to be manager.
The name stock boy is given to store clerks who are generally male and who stock the shelves. I got a lot of slack from my coworkers when I was put on the stock schedule. A rumor went around that because I was dating the evening manager I was getting special treatment. That rumor was false, it was the complete opposite. Yes I am dating him, but we never work together. Then one of my so called friends who was dating one of the stock boys spread a rumor that I was “blowing” the main store manager. It must be difficult to believe that a woman can do more work than all of the stock guys combined.
Feeling Less than Adequate
Patriarchal rule is what our country believes is right. We have grown up to believe that men are the ones who rule society and are the strong ones. I am living proof that this particular societal belief is wrong. I have overcome some of the toughest things that have left me battered and bruised inside.
I grew up with a mother who would constantly tell me I had to be better, and a step-father who beat me. This caused me to begin to feel less than myself when I was around everyone. I tried to end my life on several occasions due to flashbacks of molestation and beating. My pig of a stepfather was the first man to lay a hand on me and since that first day I have been nothing but fragile. I only wish I would have been courageous enough to stand up for myself, I was just so young.
A Mothers role
My mother chose to send me to a boarding school when I was fourteen. She believed this school would be better than my other school. I was sent away and this made me feel abandoned. I know now that her intentions were pure, and that she only wanted the best for me. While at Milton Hershey School, I grew to become independent and to make my own decisions. This school is a tough place to get used to, with all of their rules and expectations. I eventually graduated after five years and became the first in my family to go to college.
Working Hard
In one eight hour shift at work I put out about 300 pieces of freight, stock the milk, iced tea, eggs, and butter multiple times a day. All of this heavy lifting and cold weather leaves my hands all cut up and my body bruised. I work hard to pay all of my bills and to prove that I am good enough to please my mother. She never believed me when I told her about the molestation, all she said was that it was my fault. You are not good enough. An A isn’t good, you should have an A+. Do better. You are nothing. Be better. Do better. Be better. Do better.
Strong
I am a woman with determination and drive. No one can take this away from me, not even my step-father. It is because of all of the tribulations in my life that I have been able to overcome all that life has thrown at me. I am no longer that fragile little girl that was beaten and bruised. I persevered through all the pain to become the woman I am today. No matter how much hurt I have endured, I still believe that it can make us or break us. In my case I made a decision and that was to rise above it all and to become the person I am today. I am beautiful. I am strong. I am better.
Sincerely,
A Woman.