Gymnast Firefighter Works Retail!

[safespaceadmin]

by Cortez

We had our first store meeting at The Gap today. In case you missed out this is my weekend gig. Well we had a ice breaker where we would say our names and tell one truth and one lie. Mine was one of my hobbies consist of...

a.) Gymnastics
b.) Fire Fighting

I guess because at this job I am openly bisexual they all assumed I was a gymnast.

WRONG (I am a fire fighter in case you didn't know) This intrigued me, just because of my small frame and my sexual preference people would consider me most likely to do gymnastics. This reminded me of the time I worked at The American Cafe as a server. I had served this lesbian couple and when I gave them the check they asked me a question. "Just out of curiosity did you give me the check because I appeared more masculine?" This got me started thinking...

Homophobia and stereotyping has become so common we display it without even noticing it. I have decided to challenge myself and get a week’s worth of clothing that is androgynous or gender non conforming, clothes that are unisex. Unfortunately I have not found such clothing at The Gap I work in. However, I found that this could be simple in stores such as H&M and Urban Outfitters but more difficult at places like American Eagle and Aeropostle. Maybe next time you go shopping look to see how retail stores support stereotyping. Womens accessories are often spread out while male accessories are together, the female sections seem to be much larger than their male counter parts and the sales papers seem to be directed to the female audience. If someone did not identify as male or female how would this complicate their overall shopping experience?

How do these stereotypes affect you in your workplace?