'Hello Gorgeous:' Woman Shares Car Wash's Texts With and Without Husband

A woman has shared a screenshot highlighting the alarming contrast in two messages sent to her from a car wash where her vehicle was being cleaned.

The first was sent when she first took the car in on her own, while the second came when she returned with her husband, and the difference was stark, to say the least.

Harassment remains an all-too-common concern, particularly for women. In the U.S. a study by the nonprofit Stop Street Harassment found 81 percent of women experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime.

In a post upvoted 110,000 times on Reddit in a day, Carri-Ann Bloom, writing under the handle sciencemint, showed the two messages appearing one before the other.

The first message reads: "Hello gorgeous. Your vehicle is ready for you when you are ready."

The second message struck a very different tone. "Thank you for supporting [redacted] Car Wash. Your vehicle is now ready for collection."

Writing alongside the screenshot, Bloom invited followers on social media to "spot the difference" between the two texts, with the inference painfully clear.

However, Bloom told Newsweek that her experience went beyond a simple text message. Based in South Africa, she said that the issues began when she first took her car to be washed during a lunch date with her mom and sister.

Bloom said: "I walked into the office, and the guy behind the counter immediately started hitting on me, saying something along the lines of, 'I wish someone like you would walk into my shop every day.'"

Bloom added that she was wearing her wedding ring at the time and "tried to keep it professional," yet said she immediately felt uncomfortable.

She received the first of the two texts while eating with her mom and daughter. "I showed them the text, and they agreed that it was creepy," Bloom said. "I was freaked out enough that I asked my sister to come in with me to collect my keys."

They made a swift exit after picking them up and thought little more of the car wash, having decided to take their business elsewhere in the future.

But, fast forward a few weeks, and with all of the other local car washes either busy or out of action, Bloom was left with little option but to return. This time, however, she brought back-up. "I had already shown my husband the message when I received it, which he agreed was inappropriate," Bloom said. "He agreed to accompany me."

This time around, the visit went off without a hitch, with her husband doing the talking. Once again, there was a text notification that the car was ready. Bloom said: "I was just taken aback at how professional it sounded, compared to the first one I received when I went in there by myself."

She added that the experience has left her "mad at the system." "Some of the worst experiences of my life have been down to the fact that I was born a woman into a system where I risk harassment if I put on a nice dress and some lipstick," Bloom said.

Describing the incident as the "tipping point," Bloom shared the post online because she is "not going to be that silent person anymore" when it comes to encounters of this kind.

It clearly struck a chord with many on social media. One Redditor, posting as Blackairforceuno, wrote: "This same thing happens when my girlfriend goes to get an oil change by herself."

Arckyart added: "One time I brought the car in for snow tires and on the way out of the shop, the owner, blocking the door, hugged me and kissed me on the forehead and said 'thanks so much sweetie.'"

NoodleSpooner shared another similar experience, writing: "On our way back from the beach this summer, we stopped at a Wendy's. Our ticket showed my name as 'Pretty With No Smile.'"

Youjustgotlokid also commented: "I sometimes bring my fiancé with me to avoid being harassed certain places."

Bloom said she initially wanted to take down the post after spotting a few comments from Redditors accusing her of exaggerating the situation, but that soon changed.

"What gave me hope was a lot of women who came forward with similar experiences, as well as men who said their wives take them with them for this very reason," Bloom said.

She now has no regrets about speaking out. "I'm tired of staying silent and living in fear," Bloom added.