As annoying as it can be, working a retail job is relatively simple: show up on time, listen to your supervisor, be polite to customers, go home. But working a retail job as a woman is an entirely different story. I started working again during the beginning of May at the same job that I’ve had since I was a junior in high school. I’ve moved locations a few times, but several things always remain the same: the policies, the procedures and the customers.

I’ve always been very aware of the way my male coworkers are treated by customers as opposed to how I, and the other women in the workplace, are treated; we’re more likely to be flirted with, argued with and patronized, but the biggest difference is that older men have a tendency to make eye contact with my boobs rather than my face.

I’m sure it’s happened before, but it’s (sadly) not something that I’ve ever really paid enough attention to, acknowledged or been made aware of to the point that I felt like I needed to speak on it. But a few days ago, I noticed several older customers distracted by my chest and boom, inspiration hit, and I decided to started writing.

I work in customer service, so it’s important that we present ourselves in a professional manner. I’m very well aware that cleavage-bearing shirts don’t necessarily fall within the business-casual guidelines, but sometimes it’s impossible to avoid. Several days ago, I decided to wear a blouse that shows a little more skin that I would typically show, and the number of times that I had to pull my shirt further up to my neck during that shift would make anyone uncomfortable. One gentleman stood in front of me far longer than he needed to after I helped him with his business. He just stood there and giggled like a toddler, every few seconds glancing at my chest, until finally I had to usher him away as a line was forming behind him.

Or how just a few days ago, I was walking to Starbucks with my best friend, and a loud, unruly man starting shouting to his friend from across the parking lot in order to get her attention. “WOW LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT THOSE. HEY YOU.” She was in the middle of a story and wasn’t paying attention, but I moved her as quickly as I could passed the man and into the line … where they followed us and stood in line behind us.

Those are just a few examples. It baffles me that men don’t comprehend the fact that women notice every time they look at our cleavage in the middle of a conversation or that women have to worry about being seen as too “distracting” based on the clothes that we wear. In any workplace, women have a far stricter dress code than men do in the same profession, and school dress codes put more emphasis on girls not wearing distracting clothes than they do on boys not being distracted by our shoulders, our knees or our collarbones.

This type of behavior perpetuates victim-blaming and slut-shaming. I’m not saying anything new. This isn’t a groundbreaking observation, or anything even remotely close to it. But it’s something we need to talk about more.

I have big boobs, but that doesn't give you the right to look at them.