Is there anything more likely to inspire self-loathing than handing out your phone number to the creep who’s been chatting you up all evening? Much as you don’t ever want to reward pester power, sometimes typing in those 11 digits is the only way you’re going to get him to leave you alone – or at least, that’s the way he’s spun it to you. And you’ve given him a completely made-up number, natch.
But now there’s a phone number set up by US women’s group Feminist Phone Intervention that will text out quotes by American author Gloria Jean Watkins – better known as bell hooks – to make your unwanted paramour think twice about bootycalling you at 4am.
The group says of its clever invention, ‘Next time someone demands your digits and you want to get out of the situation, you can give them this number.
‘When the person calls, an automatically generated quotation from feminist writer bell hooks will respond for you.
‘Protect your privacy while dropping some feminist knowledge when your unwanted “suitor” calls or texts.’
The founders also say there’s a pressing need for this kind of service, as unfortunately women are taught from birth that it’s safer to give out a fake number than risk rejecting an aggressive man.
The UK version is +44 20 3095 4193, so remember it for the next time you find yourself wishing the drunken lout cracking onto you would just disappear down a manhole.
(Image: Wikipedia)
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.