Texting service gives women new way to deflect men

Zoe Sagalow, special to WTOP.com

WASHINGTON – Want to get rid of a terrible date? There’s a new way to avoid that day-after call.

If you send a text message to 669-221-6251, you’ll get a feminist quote by the author and social activist bell hooks.

The number is a hotline of sorts. It’s designed for women to give out, pretending it’s their own number, when trying to fend off men who are expressing unwanted interest.

Calling the number works, too. Dial the number and a recording of a woman reading one of the quotes will play.

According to Feminist Phone Intervention, the number received thousands of calls in its first day and has maintained a high level of use. The founders set up the original number in California’s Bay Area, and they later set up similar numbers in every U.S. time zone, as well in the U.K., Canada, Mexico and Israel, they say.

The founders of the service encourage others to start similar projects in other regions and say they are “excited to collaborate with people around the world.”

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