Dear Policewomen, I appreciate you. Love, Aubrey.

Today, there was a policewoman sitting on the metro, scrolling through her phone. She looked very young, my age or maybe a little older. She had blonde hair, perfectly manicured fingers, long eyelashes, and an innocent-looking face, which resembled that of an Alexander Doll. To put it frankly, she didn’t look like the typical police person - not one bit. She had the aura of a fashion model, but she was wearing a genuine police uniform with the bulky jacket, boots, fur hat and all. There was a group of guys sitting farther down the car, laughing and talking loudly. They’re the kind of guys with whom, as a young woman, you know it would be better to avoid eye contact. That might sound a little close-minded of me but, from personal experience, it mostly always rings true. Everyone in the near vicinity could tell they were making lewd comments and snickering about the policewoman, but she paid no attention. When the next stop came up, and the guys rose to leave, one of them lingered behind his friends and fixed the policewoman with the grossest, most dehumanizing and disrespectful gaze. It wasn’t a look of hatred, or even objectification; it was a look that said, “If we were in an unpopulated alleyway and not in this metro car, I would do more than just look at you” kind of gaze. I hated him for it and I moved from my spot so I could sit next to her, if only to put another body between her and his horrible, stupid, beady little eyes. What would his mother say if she saw him behave this way? I can only imagine all the crap this girl must deal with every single day, not only from men like that but from other women too (like the one across from us, who, upon sitting down, disapprovingly looked her up and down with pursed lips). By wearing a police uniform and doing her job, she highlights herself as a target for criticism, ridicule, and threatening words. That sucks and must be scary, even for a member of the police force. So today, I raise a toast to her, the strongest, bravest lady I’ve seen in Moscow. Keep doing you. Keep being a badass. Keep getting your nails done. Keep looking flawless. Keep defying traditional gender roles. Keep working in a male-dominated profession, while looking like a real-life fairy princess at the same time. You inspire me. I hope you get to arrest some of those jerks every once in a while.

#police #feminism #gender #bravery