tw/cw harassment

When I was in college I was living with my hs best friend and we were both enrolled in a local 3D program. One of the instructors would make inappropriate comments to us a lot, and we were 17/18 so we wrote them off as jokes.

one time, I was wearing my hair in pig tails, and we were at a vending machine on break, and he walked up to us and asked if she "used them as handle bars" and literally ran away. I thought it was funny at the time, and for a long time after that, because

we went from a very rigid hs structure to a extremely chill college atmosphere within months, and it seemed like we were being treated like grown ups, and I figured this is just how adults talk. Though now I realize I never felt comfortable in pigtails again after that.

I was also DEEP in the closet and didn't want anyone to know I liked women, least of all my hs best friend who I shared a bedroom with, because I was scared she'd think I was into her and a creep (small town upbringing lol, it's why I'm so loud and proud these days)

he found out we shared a bedroom (we were in a 2 bedroom with my sis and brother in law at the time to save money) and asked if we 'wore each other's panties' or something like that in front of the whole class.

I never recognized his behavior as anything but harmless jokes because I was young and I didn't want to ruin anyone's fun. I realized how uncomfortable it made me much later in life when I finally came out to myself.

From what I've heard he was later fired from a studio for sexual harassment at his work place, though that isn't my story to tell. I'm 'fortunate' that I've only had gross comments made toward me through my career, but I wanted to share this to make a point about college;

animation is still pretty dominated by cis men, from colleges to studios, and it makes it difficult to speak out or even recognize inappropriateness. He was older and in a position of power over me so I didn't understand how gross it was until I was older.

I didn't recognize how inappropriate it was because I thought it was cool a teacher was making edgy jokes with me. And if you're young and in college, or will be soon: those guys aren't your friends, and it isn't okay for a teacher to talk to you that way.