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A LOOK AT SEXUAL HARASSMENT THAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES OF LOCAL BUSINESSES CONTENT WARNING: THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES SEVERAL POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING TOPICS, INCLUDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND EATING DISORDERS
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he didn’t know if she wanted to laugh it off or writhe in disgust. Her manager’s persistent remarks about her bathing suit became more and more blatant, and she grew progressively more uncomfortable. This is sexual harassment. Specifically, verbal sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can be separated into three categories: verbal, visual and physical. Verbal sexual harassment is defined as anything spoken or written that insinuates sexual or inappropriate behavior. Visual sexual harassment, on the other hand, is slightly more complicated. It is defined not only as unwanted sexual exposure to another person, but also as showing or sending inappropriate or offensive images. Physical sexual harassment is easier to identify than the other two—it is any unwanted touching with sexual intent.
22 | IN-DEPTH | OCTOBER 2021
The disturbing reality is that many teens, including those at McLean, face sexual harassment in the workplace. Due to job shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teenagers across the country are being hired at considerably higher rates—businesses are in desperate need of employees and high schoolers are eager to make money.
THE DARK REALITY Almost every neighborhood in McLean has a pool, filled with job opportunities for students. With commitments that end when summer does and an opportunity to tan all day, it is a dream job for a lot of teenagers. Like any job, working at a pool comes with complaints about taking out the trash or cleaning the bathroom. For some employees, however, complaints about tiresome chores seem insignificant compared to the frequent harassment they face. “There’s a lot of creepy older [male lifeguards] that
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