When did stalking become a sweet love story?

WHY in the hell would anyone think it was OK to take a photograph of a stranger without their knowledge because they have a crush on them?

NO BROK, it is not romantic or sweet of you to take a photograph of a woman without her knowledge.

It is not OK for your friend to then post it on Facebook in your search for her on social media.

And Woolworths, it is not OK to encourage one customer who took a photo of another customer without her knowledge.

When a man asked Woolworths to help his friend Brok find a girl he creepily took a photo of at a supermarket, commenters and the media lauded it as “hilarious” and “cute”.

Here’s the backstory: Brok was shopping and liked a girl he saw in the fresh food aisle, he snapped a picture of her when her back was turned, then his friend posted it on the Woolworths Facebook page.

“I was at Woolworths this evening at 7:38pm (AEST) with my friend Brok buying fresh produce to make butter chicken when he’s glanced over at the girl of his dreams,” mate Blake posted on Woolies’ Facebook page.

“Girl buying mushrooms if you read this, we will be in this section every night at 7:38pm until we meet again.”

Putting aside the fact that Brok found the “girl of his dreams” despite not actually talking to her, when did stalking become a sweet love story?

Woolworths’ response was egging him on, and I don’t blame the community manager who responded, they have an amazing social team, I blame the fact that it has become a normalised reaction to see it as cute.

Their response was: “Hey Blake, whilst we’re more interested in matching your dear friend Brok with the perfect chick-en and bay leaf to create the curry of his dreams, we still think you’re a great wing-man! Next time tell Brok not to be chicken, just rice up and say hello! We hear love grows in the produce department. #HopeForBrok”.

Response from Woolies.

It is so ingrained in the larrikin, blokey culture of Australia that continues to engulf young men.

Yesterday I listened to a song by Sydney male students from UNSW chanting pro-rape chants wishing women were “holes in the road” and wanting to “cream them by the dozen”.

As I write this a story has just popped up about a Facebook page set up by male students at the University of Melbourne rating their female classmates on their appearance and posting photos without their permission.

This morning when I woke up I read a story about how a Perth carpark has begun trialling ‘female friendly’ parking zones that are located close to the entrance and exits and the area includes upgraded lighting and additional CCTV cameras.

Social media has opened up a new take on the creepy stalker culture, one that shames women on a wider scale and also one that endangers them. Not to mention the pack mentality that resonates through.

So this is the ‘progressive’ world we live in, one where women get their photos taken unbeknown to them, have them uploaded without their knowledge and then have society think it’s not only OK but cute.

A world where we need special parking spots to keep women safe, and where youth of tomorrow are chanting about women as holes in the road.

This is not OK.

Agree or disagree? Continue the conversation with Rashell @Rashellha