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SPARKY WITH STYLE
I’m a glam female electrician – I swap heels for overalls at work but get creepy comments about being ‘on my knees’
ONE glam female electrician has opted to swap her high heels and dresses for overalls and wires during the work week.
But Jordyn Mavromatis, 26, said that she faces comments from creeps who joke about her being "on her knees" while she's working.
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Jordyn, from Blackpool, Lancs, England, quit her job working for an insurance firm to become an electrician.
She's now in her fourth year of an electrical apprenticeship.
Being the only woman on the course, Jordyn started to feel imposter syndrome and realized this new career choice would be harder than she thought.
She also found herself to be the target of crude and sexist comments, which at one point got so bad she considered quitting.
Jordyn explained: "I never thought about being the only girl there until my first day.
"I walked in too confidently and then imposter syndrome kicked in and I realized would be harder than I thought.
"A few people were shocked by my career change and some family members were also concerned as they are a little old school.
"They told me too I'm pretty to do that, which I resented.
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"At the start, I felt like I had to prove why I was there.
"I felt like I worked a lot harder than others to get the same results in the beginning.
"I would just walk onto sites with my head held high."
Jordyn said she's come across different types of people in this industry, including some creeps.
"There are definitely creepy people who will make inappropriate comments and innuendos," she admitted.
"If I'm working on my knees, people will say, 'Whilst you're down there,' which is something I often get.
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"There are also the older men who can be quite condescending, acting like my dad, trying to not let me do anything.
"But then there are the rare ones who I can have a bit of banter with.
"I also always have my work questioned, with people saying: ‘Are you sure that’s right?’
"I've also had laborers shake their SCS (construction skills certification scheme) qualification cards at me and ask if I have one.
"I now don't react in the way they want me to, so I either laugh it off or question them and what they mean by that.
"This makes them realize what they’re saying.
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"I also like to kill them with kindness and make them look more like the idiots that they are.
"Two years in it got to the point where I was close to quitting the trade altogether," she admitted.
"I let the criticism get to me and upset me, even through my thick skin.
"I definitely hit a low point, people were [insulting] my work as well as me personally. Luckily, I pulled through, and I'm glad I did.
"It's important to me that I get qualified," she added. "It will open so many doors for me."
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Even though she is the only woman on her site, Jordyn has made some other female friends in trade jobs.
She said it makes her feel less alone, and she loves the contrast she has between her work uniform and what she wears off duty.
"In my spare time, I'm completely different outside of work.
"I am knee-deep in mud at noon, and by the evening I'm in heels and a full face of makeup, dancing all night.
"I love getting glammed up. It makes a change as I'm always scruffier at work.
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"I also love getting people to guess what I do for a living when I go out. People never guess it.
"I will finish my apprenticeship and be fully qualified by April, and then I want to go on to do marine engineering and become an electro-technical officer and be an electrician on yachts and ships.
"It is a very male-dominated career but I have always been one for adventure, and working with my hands doing practical stuff
"I was doing well in the corporate world as a manager, but I felt constrained to four walls, and then this opportunity presented itself and I just took that leap of faith.
"People should be given the opportunity to follow their passions no matter what gender or race they are and this is not pushed enough in schools.
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"I didn’t realize this career was an option until much much later in life. Knowing the opportunities and that you can do it as it's not advertised well.
"There is a negative view of women in trade. It puts women off, but we need more women in the trade and they’re great at it."
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