If you missed the comments in last week's post, there's another type of stranger you are never allowed to touch: pregnant women.
Would you walk up to a random guy in public and touch his crotch? (I'm asking everyone except the drunken sorority girls and bachelorette parties.) How about a skinny woman and touch her belly, boobs, or ass? Not acceptable, right?
Putting your hands on a pregnant woman's belly (doubly offensive if she's not pregnant and you think she is) is never okay.
And here are the bullshit responses I've heard:
1. "But there's a baby in there!"
So? Why not go to the maternity ward at your local hospital and press your face and hands up against the nursery glass. There's babies in there! That won't make you look like a psycho.
2. "You know, in some cultures, it's considered good luck to rub a pregnant woman's belly."
Yeah, well, this is America and that one somehow never made it into our culture. We have this thing called personal space, and we'll thank y'all to respect it. If you need to find a belly to rub for luck, go to your nearest funky home furnishings store, buy a statue of Buddha, and rub away.
Even with pregnant friends and relatives, ask first before touching.
