There’s a movement afoot to help women on their own get help when bar-hopping gets too edgy. It’s called the “Angel Shot’ system and it relys on cooperation between servers, bartenders and female customers.Promoters of this and other systems say they could prevent rape and even save lives…
The Angel Shot is an outgrowth of the ‘Ask for Angela’ system started by a bar in Lincolnshire, England last year. Rather than just signalling that your date has gone weird, the Angel Shot system has a number of different shades and degrees of meaning. All you have to do, if the guy you’re with gets uncomfortable, is to order an Angel Shot. The server or bartender will know what you mean. You can find out if the bar you’re visiting participates in the system by visiting the Ladies Room. They’ll have signs up explaining it all.
Here’s how it works…
The Iberian Rooster restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, initiated the system. Here’s their ‘menu’ of signals:
Order the Angel Shot…
- Neat – The bartender or a bouncer will escort you to your vehicle.
- WIth ice – The bartender will call an Uber ot Lyft ride for you.
- With Lime – The bartender will call the police.
Do we really need something like this?
Many women’s rights and anti-rape activists say, “Yes!”
I say, first of all, you’d better not cry ‘Wolf’ too often, nervous ladies, or you’ll make bar staff skeptical of whether you’re really in trouble and, thereby, devalue the system for everyone.
I also wonder if we need anything more involved than ‘Ask for Angela’, or some other keyword to alert bar staff to our situation.
But there are those who say we need much more – like anti-rape ballistic nylon underwear (complete with lock!) or nail polish that turns colour when you swizzle a finger in a drink that’s been spiked with a date-rate drug.
My advice: On any first date, excuse yourself to the Loo before ordering or sipping any drink and see if the bar you’re in supports any of the Angel/Angela safety schemes.
~ Maggie J.