Working on Defenses

Do you prefer someone who is being more direct?  Or would you prefer that someone is more subtle and polite?

Perhaps it depends on the situation?

Well, last night, I was at a friend's housewarming party after having finished working at a party earlier that evening.  At some point, I was asked what I did.

Being that I didn't have time to switch purses, I brought out the product binder to show them what I was talking about.

Photo by Najmat

At one point, I overheard someone make a comment about the fact that I was talking about penis rings.  So, I turned around and said, "Oh, Hi.  My name is Cecilia, and I sell sex toys."

Not a bad introduction, if I do say so myself.

Well, one person turned around and said that she's skeptical about sex toys because she's allergic to latex.  I told her that we have tons of toys that are great for those with a latex allergy, specifically some that are medical-grade silicone.

She said she still couldn't be sure, but her posture and body language just exuded the fact that she was extremely uncomfortable.

I felt really awkward, all of a sudden, like my good advice was not good enough.  Even though I had tried to  be really professional with her, she just seemed extremely resistant to anything I had to say.  I knew it wasn't the time to ask her anything more.

Luckily, some of the other people in her group were a bit more open minded, and we had a conversation about the state of sex education for youth and adults.  One of them even asked for my business card.

While I don't expect that everyone would be as comfortable as I am with talking about sex, I guess I was just not ready to come across someone like that at this particular house party.  It's silly, really, that I would assume that.  But I did.

I think this is something I'd like to improve on:  When someone puts up that kind of wall, how can I get them to peek over the top of it even for a second?