Woman Bonded With Another Woman in an Elevator Over Pepper Spray

What are some popular conversation starters among young women? As a young woman myself, I could list a few. How about Taylor Swift, Pete Davidson, The Bachelor, Harry Styles, skincare, makeup trends, girl dinner, or girl math? The list goes on and on. But one TikToker just brought another topic to the table that must be added to the rotation: Pepper spray.

In a TikTok video, she explains how her handy dandy bottle of eye-burning aeresol helped her strike up a conversation with another young woman in her building and how men are ironically the only people who have ever teased her for carrying it.

A young woman in Houston named Jessica (@blonde.jess) took to TikTok to talk about the important accessory she always totes around with her: pepper spray.

"I got on the elevator with this in my hand, and I was sitting there and was on my phone, and there was this other lovely woman in the elevator with me, and she goes, 'Yeah, girl, stay vigilant, stay prepared,'" Jessica recounts in her video.

"And then she was like, '[Do] you have a spray or the gel?' And we were just sitting there talking about pepper spray, and it was such a lovely womanhood bonding moment because we're two lone women in Houston. Like, gotta stay prepared," Jessica says while doing a spraying motion.

But then the conversation switched gears as Jessica revealed she had previously been teased for carrying pepper spray around.

Addressing her critics, Jessica sarcastically asks: "I'm sorry, what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to use my guns if I get attacked?" She then flexes her arms to demonstrate.

"I carry it all the time; I'm very good about having it in my hand always because, again, I'm a small woman alone in Houston. But guess who has never made fun of me for carrying spray?" Jessica asks before revealing, "Women."

Then she asks, "Guess who has always made fun of me for carrying pepper spray?" She answers her own question by saying: "It's always men."

She continues: "Isn't that so funny? Because guess who I'm protecting myself from. Men."

As Jessica ends her video, she says: "Have to laugh or I'll cry."

The comment section was flooded with thoughts from females about pepper spray because as Jessica unintentionally discovered, pepper spray is a hot topic among young women.

In fact, her video helped bring light to the lesser-known gel option, which according to Jessica is "better than the spray."

Another user corroborated this, writing that the gel was "safer because it’s more direct and doesn’t spread in the air as much."

Other young women were able to relate to Jessica's struggle of having men being so judgemental towards a woman who carries around pepper spray.

"I’ve also been made fun of for carrying pepper spray??? Only men who would want you to NOT have it will make fun of you," wrote one user.

Another user shared that a bouncer at a concert venue wouldn't let them bring pepper spray in for protection. "I was like, 'So you gonna walk me to my car after in the dark?'" they wrote.

Bottom line: Pepper spray is a safe topic to talk about with the girls. Also, don't ever feel ashamed for carrying it ... your safety and peace of mind matter!