Getting groped at funerals
I’m a woman in her early twenties, and I’ve been a funeral director for over a year now, and I really love it! I do a lot more celebrations of life than traditional funerals, and am so lucky to have the career I have. That being said, I keep getting groped.
The culture where I live is very affectionate, and at funerals/burials I’ll often hug families before I leave. I’ve recently been losing weight so I’ve been getting some “extra attention”. Men will put their hands on my upper buttocks when we hug, or brush their hand along my bra line/side boob. I even had one guy try and brush my hair from my face and tuck it behind my ear after calling me “very beautiful”. Yuck.
I know I should probably get my head out of my own ass and stop giving hugs, but often the families initiate. I tried giving hand shakes but it’s always awkward. I’m working on boundaries, but often times I just freeze. Should I just do handshakes with men? What if they ask why I’m giving them a handshake and not their wife? (ITS ALWAYS THE MARRIED ONES THAT GROPE) I have no idea what to do and it’s been stressing me out more than I’d like to admit. I feel like I’m a people pleaser being harassed by people squeezers!! I don’t want to make a scene, but I also want to have my bodily autonomy respected…
Advice?