Woman disguises herself as a man to work safely as a delivery person at night, sparking debate

We all know how unsafe it can get for women to work at night or even travel during late hours. However, a TikTok user Tia Zakher came up with a brilliant idea to work as a delivery person at night and it is now highlighting the privilege of safety that comes with being assigned man at birth. Zakher—who goes by @tiazakher on TikTok—works as a Montreal Uber Eats driver. In a now-viral video, she can be seen dressed in a black jacket and olive green pants along with white shoes. Zakher recognized the privileges associated with being perceived as male and decided to dress as a man while working at night, shedding light on the disparity in safety experienced by different genders.

Her hair is covered with a hoodie and a blue cap. Moreover, Zakher has her face covered with a mask. Due to her clothes, no one could even guess that she is a woman. The overlay text in the video reads, "You are scared to deliver orders at night alone but you make more money at night so dress up as a man." With her carefully chosen attire, Zakher effectively conceals her identity as a woman, enabling her to perform her delivery duties without risking her safety.

The video went viral with about 276k views and it is captioned, "Male privilege." People found her idea impressive. @ramosdrex commented, "Baggier pants and strong men's perfume and ur good to go haha." @fatherchicken123 wrote, "Very convincing, well done." @ameliannalexine expressed, "I worry so much when I see women delivery drivers or Uber! always tip extra. Stay safe." @itswhateverxx4 shared, "I had a woman Uber Eats deliver me pizza at night and it warmed my heart and also saddened my heart that her husband was with her and helping her." @theowlmom said, "This is so smart. I will start doing this when riding late-night public transportation."

Being a woman, though Zakher has found a way to work at night, the story still highlights how unsafe it is for women to be out at night. According to a Thomas Reuters Foundation report in 2018, the United States was among the top 10 nations in the world due to the risks that women face in terms of sexual violence, including rape, sexual harassment, coercion into sex, and a lack of access to justice in rape cases. 

Women often end up living in constant fear and avoid late-night gatherings or parties. A TikTok user @mags_a_million has decided to give women the confidence to protect themselves in times of danger. She says that body language is a game changer when it comes to defending yourself and shared some of her best advice for being safe. 

She continues that attackers often target people who are low-key or have few or no friends are loners, or someone gullible and submissive. So, to change that and let them know that you are watching their every move, Mags says that the best way is to look them right in the eyes. She gives an example by taking a more assertive stance by standing in front of them, looking at them, and letting them know you are watching them too. "You carry yourself like you got a whole army behind you," she adds.