As with any adjustments that are made to living quarters,
supplies are needed to make any house a home. In my most recent transition into
free living, I have found myself making more trips to Lowes and Home Depot than
I ever have in my whole entire life. Contrary to popular belief about my personal
encounters with hardware stores, my exposure is quite vast as my family used to
take trips there for fun; but that is another story related to my unique upbringing. So, I understand that
females are rarely seen within a hardware store, but it isn’t like we walk
into them thinking it’s a Forever 21.
In my most recent experience, I was in the plumbing section
of a hardware store browsing the prices of some galvanized pipe when an
employee passed the aisle and took a long look at me; clearly I was in
distress. He proceeded to yell down the aisle, “Hey!” to get my attention and
asked--in the most condescending way, “Do you even know what you’re looking at?” First of all, I may be a girl
and not know the difference in pronunciation between phalanges and flange, but I
have the ability to navigate my way around a store. Little did he know I was
looking at the piping in order to begin construction on a closet and what I
really needed was the wooden dowel section and not galvanized pipe so in fact I did need some help, but I
responded by pulling out a 4” pipe, in the most threatening way possible—at
least that’s how I pictured it-- and walking off. I was so taken aback by the
condescending question of that man, that I can no longer take the friendly,
“Can I help you with anything?” questions objectively.
Though men and women have equal rights constitutionally, why
does society hold true to the ever cinematic scenario of ‘Damsel in Distress’?
I may not be able to win in a race against a couple of guys or have the ability
to keep my composure when something hurts my feelings, but it doesn’t mean I
can’t compete. I understand that having equal rights does not mean having equal ability, but I
just don’t understand how I, as a female, am deemed incapable by the majority
of society to have the competence to survive in the plumbing section of a
hardware store.
Without giving the impression that I don’t want to be taken
care of, because I of all people appreciate my dad’s automotive and carpentry
skills and my boyfriend’s effort to make shelves completely level, but I just don’t want to be viewed as that girl
tied to the railroad tracks in need of saving; helpless. Now I know that not
all men are bad, and the conclusion of this story really is that hardware
stores make me feel uncomfortable and out of place which is comically ironic, but there are times
where I want to consider the differences between wooden dowels and galvanized
pipe in peace and be trusted to ask for help when needed—and I think all women
should be granted that same consideration.
