When Saoirse Ronan said “that’s what girls have to think about all the time,” she wasn’t being hyperbolic, and Olympian Ilona Maher just proved her point.
In a “story time” video posted to Instagram, Maher, who is currently competing on Dancing With The Stars, told the story of her most recent pedicure. She went in near the end of the day, and while she was in the chair, a man came in and also asked for a pedicure. The women who worked at the salon kept telling Maher that her nails were not dry enough for her to leave until after the male customer had left. The female employees then admitted that they’d asked her to stay because they felt uncomfortable with the man’s presence, and it’s implied that Maher, who is tall and muscular, helped them feel secure. (She’s also a rugby player, a notoriously physical sport, and if you’ve ever met a women’s rugby team…yeah, they’re no joke. Someone once tried to rob my friend outside the college bar where the rugby team hung out and boy was he in for a surprise.)
They were right to be wary. As Maher explains, when she left the salon, the man was waiting and even asked to go home with her. She declined and kept walking, and thankfully the situation ended there.
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“I totally understood. It’s a crazy world out there,” Maher said, adding, “You can keep me for as long as you want. I’ll cancel my plans if you want me for safety.” The female stranger safety network is real. As Maher said, “seriously, stay safe, ladies.”
In the comments, viewers were quick to praise Maher for being the ultimate girls’ girl, and to lament that this is still the world we live in. “It’s great to see all the ladies supporting ladies in the comments, but it would be great if we, as a society, could also do more to make sure that we raise men that we don’t have to protect ourselves from. Men, call out your misogynist friends. Dads, teach your sons to respect women. We’re tired of doing all the work ourselves!” wrote one. Truth.
Ilona Maher said she was treating herself to some mozzarella sticks and wine after her “vigilante” moment, and we couldn’t support that more. Ilona, you deserve all the cheese under the sun.
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