What started as a trip to the dentist has turned into a warning for all women. TikTokker Andrea Elena shared a very confronting experience and a very simple solution for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
Andrea is the lovely woman in the video below. She’s just been to the dentist where she was expecting a root canal procedure (hence her mouth being half-frozen).
But what she wasn’t expecting was to be harassed by a stranger.
@andreaelena66I had 3 nerve / dental blocks that’s why my mouth looks like that ok♬ original sound – Andrea Elena
As she explains in her TikTok video, she was waiting in reception at the dentist when a man came up to her. He started to ask her questions – where are you from, where do you live, yadda, yadda, yadda. The man then told her that he could take her home.
Andrea politely declined but the man insisted. He was also aware she had taken an Uber to the dentist and continued to insist that she let him drive her home. It was clearly making her uncomfortable.
Use your notes
Andrea took out her phone and opened her “notes” app. She then quickly jotted down 13 words. “The man behind me tried to get me to go in his car.”
She calmly walked up to reception and showed the staff members her phone.
The reception then alerted security and security remained with Andrea before and after her appointment. The dentist then provided a cab voucher for Andrea to safely get home and had security walk her to the cab to ensure she was safe.
Andrea shared her story on TikTok to let other women know that this is one of the many ways to ask for help when in an uncomfortable situation. She also thanked the dental hospital for their quick thinking and assistance. She doesn’t delve into what exactly happened to the man harassing her but it would be interesting to find out!
We’ve all been in situations where we feel uncomfortable and having an easy way to calmly remove yourself is always useful. Keep this one in mind if you ever find yourself in a confronting situation. You never know when it could happen to you.
Ask for Angela
Another common way for people to alert someone they feel uncomfortable is through “Ask for Angela”. This was launched in NSW but I’m in Queensland and I know plenty of women who have used it before up here.
How it works is simple. Say you’re on a date with someone you met online and he’s a huge creepo. You don’t feel safe. Simply go up to the bar and “Ask for Angela.”
This alerts the bar staff that you need some help getting out of the situation. The bar staff will then call you a taxi or help get you out of the situation discreetly and safely.
X-plan for teens
If you have teens, you may also want to alert them to this simple X-plan which is an ingenious way for kids to communicate they need help or would like to leave a situation.
This powerful but simple tool is your child’s “get out of the situation” code without alerting their peers that they don’t approve or they feel uncomfortable about what is going on. The teen simply texts the parents the code X from their phone.
Then the parent calls their teen, telling them something has come up and they need to come to pick them up straight away. Their friends are none the wiser and the teen can exit the situation without letting on their feel uncomfortable.
