I've had that said to me before when I was in college waaay back as an intern about 8 years ago. I've also had that said to me while working after college in an actual paying professional office job.
Personally, I love the words doll, broad, chick, babe, whatever - I love them when my friends say them in funny conversations. I do NOT love them when I'm in an office setting and I could probably run professional circles around someone.
Let's put aside the obvious sexism here with those words, because I'm no where near being a raging feminist. In fact, 90% of my friends are dudes, I would MUCH rather go see a basketball game than spend a day at the mall, and I'm pretty sure I have more USB cords lying around my room for phones and cameras than I do shoes. Spending that much time around guys has made me care less about the words being used.
What does this have to do with coffee?
Everything.
In my 6-10 years of participating in office cultures through paying jobs and internships, coffee is a staple. Not everyone drinks it, but it's very much in the routine of most. I am no stranger to this act myself. It kickstarts my day and keeps me focused and awake. However, in those 6-10 years I am pretty sure, and almost confident, that I have never seen a guy in any office make a pot of coffee.
I realize this is a WILD generalization and I'm sure guys the world over make coffee in their offices - I have just never witnessed it. In my casual observations it has almost always been the women who either A) sit closest to the machine or B) the women in the HR department. We had a male chef at work once, and he made coffee, but that's in his job description so I don't count it.
I have never learned to make coffee.
I get the concept -- you get a coffee filter, throw it in a machine, add some crushed up coffee beans, and let it drip. But I never know how much, I never know if I want it strong or weak, and I never know how to account for multiple cups and the variations on taste. I don't want to know. It's too much pressure making it for someone else when coffee is THIS important to how an office/person functions.
Why?
It may seem stupid, but if I don't know how to make coffee when some guy inevitably points to me and says, "Hey go make some coffee," I can look back at him and say, "Ah sorry, not very good at making the ol' coffee thing, but I can show you were it all is if you'd like to make a cup for yourself."
In my mind, this levels the playing field. I already have to deal with the fact that I'm younger than most so anywhere I can cut corners and add some points for my skills is good. We have weird gender roles in our society and while I consider things to be pretty much equal these days, for some reason making coffee gets assigned to the women. If I don't know how to do it, then that's one less stereotype I can be assigned. The idea of walking into a room holding a tray of coffees, creme and sugar, just knocks me down a step or two in the credibility scale when I'm a professional on the rise.
The culture of going to get coffee from the local coffee shop seems to be much more equal with those who go to get it, and those who often pay for others. The only problem with this equal method is that it gets expensive.
It's pretty safe to say, that I won't be learning how to make a pot of coffee anytime soon.
Personally, I love the words doll, broad, chick, babe, whatever - I love them when my friends say them in funny conversations. I do NOT love them when I'm in an office setting and I could probably run professional circles around someone.
Let's put aside the obvious sexism here with those words, because I'm no where near being a raging feminist. In fact, 90% of my friends are dudes, I would MUCH rather go see a basketball game than spend a day at the mall, and I'm pretty sure I have more USB cords lying around my room for phones and cameras than I do shoes. Spending that much time around guys has made me care less about the words being used.
What does this have to do with coffee?
Everything.
In my 6-10 years of participating in office cultures through paying jobs and internships, coffee is a staple. Not everyone drinks it, but it's very much in the routine of most. I am no stranger to this act myself. It kickstarts my day and keeps me focused and awake. However, in those 6-10 years I am pretty sure, and almost confident, that I have never seen a guy in any office make a pot of coffee.
I realize this is a WILD generalization and I'm sure guys the world over make coffee in their offices - I have just never witnessed it. In my casual observations it has almost always been the women who either A) sit closest to the machine or B) the women in the HR department. We had a male chef at work once, and he made coffee, but that's in his job description so I don't count it.
I have never learned to make coffee.
I get the concept -- you get a coffee filter, throw it in a machine, add some crushed up coffee beans, and let it drip. But I never know how much, I never know if I want it strong or weak, and I never know how to account for multiple cups and the variations on taste. I don't want to know. It's too much pressure making it for someone else when coffee is THIS important to how an office/person functions.
Why?
It may seem stupid, but if I don't know how to make coffee when some guy inevitably points to me and says, "Hey go make some coffee," I can look back at him and say, "Ah sorry, not very good at making the ol' coffee thing, but I can show you were it all is if you'd like to make a cup for yourself."
In my mind, this levels the playing field. I already have to deal with the fact that I'm younger than most so anywhere I can cut corners and add some points for my skills is good. We have weird gender roles in our society and while I consider things to be pretty much equal these days, for some reason making coffee gets assigned to the women. If I don't know how to do it, then that's one less stereotype I can be assigned. The idea of walking into a room holding a tray of coffees, creme and sugar, just knocks me down a step or two in the credibility scale when I'm a professional on the rise.
The culture of going to get coffee from the local coffee shop seems to be much more equal with those who go to get it, and those who often pay for others. The only problem with this equal method is that it gets expensive.
It's pretty safe to say, that I won't be learning how to make a pot of coffee anytime soon.