Saturday 17 October 2009

Dear Finnish Female Flatmate

Dear Finnish Female Flatmate,

Yesterday, I was on a train when a group of loud, male Londoners, discussed you. Your male flatmate confessed he had the hots for you, but didn't think you were interested. His louder and more agressive friend assured him that any girl who moves to London to live with three men was just 'looking for a good pole-ing' and he should 'go for it'. Said friend reiterated that Scandanavian girls (brief interlude while they discussed whether Finland was indeed Scandanavia, agreed it was, and continued) were all hot and up for it (unlike English girls), had less sexual hang-ups than 'stereotypically' [I think they were using this term wrongly] English girls, and that all you were looking for was a 'good pole-ing' [he did have a fondness for this term]. Your flatmate plaintively noted that you were here to study, but he was shot down by his mates, as your ethnicity and choice to live with a group of men apparently indicated your real desire was -yes again- to have a 'good pole-ing'.

Just thought you should be warned in case any poles come in your direction.

Best wishes,
Feminist Avatar.

12 comments:

Saranga said...

how horrible.

Feminist Avatar said...

Seriously, and the whole carriage was availed of this conversation- nice way to piss off all the women and many of the men sitting near you.

Anonymous said...

Yuk

Anonymous said...

Good God, I feel for that poor woman.

Stephanie said...

I was on a train once and heard a conversation quite similar, although as I recall, the woman in question was neither Finnish or a flatmate but the gist of it was the same.

Until a man in his forties turned around to the group of younger men and told them to "Give it a rest" because him and the rest of the carriage "shouldn't have to listen to that kind of offensive bullshit".

There was a stunned silence, the whole journey home.

Feminist Avatar said...

Good for him. That's an interesting response.

Saranga said...

i wish more of us could (would?) do that. including myself.

Feminist Avatar said...

I think, at least for me, there is the personal safety issue, especially if you have to be on the train with them for a long time. This is probably unreasonably paranoid given that most trains have a number of people on them as a buffer to violence, but the further north you go the emptier the train gets...

Saranga said...

I know, I feel the same. I also cannot help thinking that a bloke telling them off will have more weight behind it than a 5 ft 3 woman who looks about 21. I'd be worried i'd get harassed by them.

katieinthehat said...

I think in that situation I would have said something trying to be cutting and end up making a fool of myself, or at least have them make a fool of me. I was in a petrol station/Subway last year and was queuing for a salad when a guy behind me, who was with a work friend, picked up a lad's magazine and was audibly drooling all over it. In the end I turned round and asked him to stop. Needless to say he didn't get it and he and his friend made fun of me until I left the shop, although he did stop going on how much he would like to give Angelina Jolie one. If it hadn't been lunch time though I don't think I would have said anything because I agree, personal safety is a big concern!

rhoda said...

Fucking disgusting.

And, no. Not a part of Scandinavia.

Maud said...

Thanks for the post, pretty worthwhile info.