I work with seven men and one other woman. My woman coworker is out of the office for a week, so the place has turned into even more of a boys’ club than usual. Today, during a farewell lunch for one of my coworkers, the topic turned to balls. I’m serious. Everyone was talking about balls and getting kicked in the balls and sport team hazing that involved balls. Balls, balls, BALLS!

I wanted to participate in some way, so I piped up, “Andreas told me about how when he was in high school soccer, the big hazing was to convince the freshmen to rub Tiger Balm on their balls.”

Silence. A tumbleweed blew by.

Then everyone started gasping and hollering and squealing about how if some older boy said to rub something on your balls you NEVER do and they have not stopped talking about Tiger Balm since. Several jokes of the day have had tiger balm punchlines.

Have we finally reached egalitarianism in the workplace, where I, as a woman, can contribute the best testicle-related anecdote of the day? The glass ceiling of inner-office ball jokes has been shattered!