Featured image source: Yong Facebook
No, means no. It doesn’t mean ‘yes’, ‘maybe’, or ‘try harder’. It literally just means a big fricking ‘no’.
We love men. They are beautiful creatures!
Well in their own special way anyway.
They are chivalrous when they hold the door for us, sweet when they ensure we are home safe, and even more beautiful when they come in packages like Johnny Depp, Ashton Kutcher, and Chris Evans.
BUT every woman would have come across the occasional jerk. Yes, that is the proper description of them, the male living beings that do not respect women as an equal, and do not understand the meaning of no.
In a Facebook post on the 1st of June, television Astro SuperSport host, Yong Wan Jun stories us on such an incident that has occurred to her.
“It sucks being a woman, I’ll tell you why. As I type this, I am sitting perhaps 7 rows in front of the man who just sexually harassed me.
Why are we still in the same proximity? Cause we’re on a plane. And I have about 10 more hours of being in the same confinement as the person that moments ago just petrified me cause of the way he touched me.”
She starts off with a gender-variance statement and further explains that she has been sexually harassed on a flight.
Yong writes that it was in the wee hours after midnight, when the man sitting next to her had struck up 3 hours-long conversation with her. She had wanted to rest but the man relentlessly continued the conversation; she had learnt his name, his 3 years old daughter’s name and that he works in New York. Let’s call him ‘X’.
Now, Yong clarified she was in no way trying to gain any sort of attention and describes her circumstances at that point. “Yes, I am traveling alone. Yes I am attractive. No I am not in sexy attire. In fact I have no makeup on and am wearing my nerdy glasses.”
X eventually asked Yong to cuddle to sleep. Yong surprised by the direct intrusive nature of X, politely declined his request. X not taking no for an answer continued to pull Yong onto his lap. This is when she uses the ‘boyfriend card’ in efforts of fending off the very pushy X.
She wrote,
“He said:” Your BF is not here.” And tries to pull me down to his lap again.
I replied:” I am uncomfortable with this.”and he asks me why.
I said, I just met you.
“So? Its just hugging?” He exclaimed.
To which I replied:” I think you’re a little drunk”. (Indicating the 3 small bottles of red wine he drank throughout the conversations).
Then he got so offended it made me quite afraid. Mind you I was sitting at the window seat and couldn’t go anywhere.”
X is then offended when Yong suggests he might be a little drunk but tries another method, trying to guilt her into cuddling. It is obvious, X can’t take a hint.
X then leaves for the restroom, but not before wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
Young then quickly escapes by requesting the air stewardess to change her seat, stating that the man, X wanted to hug but she didn’t want any trouble, instead of being upfront that she just had been sexually harassed.
“Did I misguided him to think I was interested? Was I supposed to be rude, cold, just cause I am.. god forbid, pretty and a decent human being?
Why do men think they are entitled to anything they may want from a woman? Should I have made a bigger issue of this incident so the flight attendants would take me seriously?”
Even after being re-seated, Yong still felt violated, scared, and left with a bunch questions. She wondered if she was in any way at fault, and even felt a little bad for X. Yong was aware that she and X was still in the same plane with 10 more hours of the flight worries if they bumped into each other.
That would have been one hack of a long and sleepless night for Yong. Poor girl.
In this scenario, I would be taking Yong’s side, not because I am woman but because what X did was rather uncool and disrespectful of Yong as an individual.
Women tend to gently decline unwanted attention or invitations; we are are experts in the art of saying no. Unfortunately, it requires a certain amount of self-confidence in a person to take a simple no, as no, and not some form of insult.
Sexual harassment is wrong, will never be right. Hopefully articles such as these will bring awareness, not just to women, but to men, teaching us all to be mindful and respectful to other.
