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As no one has responded, allow me to go out of order.
As a young media planner at McCann, I was asked to accompany the female account supe to a client meeting some two hour drive from the office. Midway there she began some serious innuendo. Then she blurted - “there’s a motel right there, let’s pull over and get a room.”
She was married and 37. I was fresh out of college, maybe 23. I declined.
The meeting was a disaster. I presented my media plan and when it came time for creative she stared blankly and told the client I had the comps. Oh! The package she’d asked me to pick up from the CD on the way out the door.
The client was furious and word of our shit meeting reached management before we returned.
She immediately spread word around the office that I was gay. And had ruined the meeting.
Her boss called me in the next day and asked what happened. I didn’t pull any punches.
She was out the door with a cardboard box before lunchtime.
About 1995. Some time ago. Yeah, I had no choice but to blow the whistle as she blamed the poor meeting on me and spread rumors I was gay. Not suggesting gay is bad, but I was young, very single and very hetero.
Sounds insane!! The McCann story. Here’s a less crazy McCann story but still off. In conference room we used to listen into 3-4 h PRC calls not live with actual reviewers, just over call).
I took a break to use the bathroom and get water. I came back and my manager was shocked and told me in front of everyone that it was unprofessional to leave like that…
I was a junior account executive. I was like what the heck.
Just glad I’m out of that nightmare
Oooof I feel like there’s so much more to this manager story… bc WHAT
I was the only person not included at a business lunch (which took place in the conference room we were all conducting a meeting in) with an otherwise all white male cast of executives. I awkwardly left the “meeting” prior to lunch, and found a restaurant nearby to dine alone. I rejoined the meeting 1.5 hours later - and the aroma of cigars and whiskey permeated the room. This was corp America not an agency… 🙄
I’m sorry this happened to you. The “boys club” troupe is still alive & well unfortunately 🙃 but tg no cigs in conference rooms
The comments are so bad, I’m kinda glad that I only started working in the late 2010s and things nowadays are much better (still not good enough though)… The weirdest thing that has happened to me is prob a male coworker (more senior and older than me) keeps calling me “girl”, I told my manager that I don’t feel comfortable about that but he made me seem like I was overreacting (apparently my manager told him about this without saying it’s inappropriate)
I’m so glad I joined the industry after most of the horrific behavior was unacceptable but it’s still not good at all. With daily micro aggressions and excuses being made it’s all so much. “Girl” def is not cool and no one would refer to a man as “boy” in the office
Rising Star
Mid-50s male here. In my 20s, there was a producer who used to stand behind me and rub my shoulders while listening to radio spot playbacks.
That definitely seemed * off. *
Still appalled this kind of egregious behavior was ever remotely acceptable..
Rising Star
I had a male boss tell me it “wouldn’t hurt to be a little friendlier and maybe smile more” at the client because he “liked” me and thought I was cute.
🤮 the tiny things that build up over time is really what’s getting me. Clearly the more aggressive behavior isn’t tolerated but the small micro aggressions that happen every single day are still tolerated and even excused. Is pretty disheartening tbh