Is iconic feminist author bell hooks screening calls for women who didn’t want to give their phone numbers to someone they just met in the first place?
Not exactly, but some of her quotes are being used to give aggressive suitors a hint when a woman might be too intimated, tired or otherwise unwilling to do it herself.
Anonymous creators made a program that will allow women to give out a fake number to people who will then get quotes from the Feminism Is for Everybody author.
If people dial (669) 221-6251, they will hear nothing more than a voice reading a bell hooks quote.
If they text the number, a quote will be sent as a reply to their message.
The creators sent an email to The Hairpin and said, “The idea is to pass that off as one’s own number if you’re in a dicey situation, afraid to give out your personal cell phone number or outright reject someone.”
Several websites have tested the number already and discovered that there are only two hooks quotes on rotation for now.
Writers at Vox.com posted a screenshot of their exchange with the faux number.
“What are you up to tonight?” the Vox writer wrote.
The reply read, “ ‘If any female feels she need anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power to be self-defining, her agency.’ – bell hooks.”
There are many possible flaws with this method of rejection, however.
It’s important to note that the number is posted on several websites, which means a man could easily identify the number immediately after you give it to him if he has already heard about it.
One comment on ClutchMagOnline.com read, “Well now the guys know what’s up. This is not very clever.”
Another user also pointed out that the program is pretty ineffective since everyone has access to knowing what the number is.
Others felt they never let a guy get far enough to even feel comfortable asking for a number.
“I am approached a lot, but very rarely am I asked for my phone number because men never get that far,” the comment read.
Another possible issue is that someone may actually call or text you before you walk away, claiming that he just wanted to make sure you received his number as well.
Then there is also the possibility that you might run into the same person again, depending on where you had the first encounter.
However, a benefit of the program may be that it could serve as an alternative for the woman who would usually just give out a random fake number. It wouldn’t be for the woman who is OK with just shooting the man down on the spot.
