This New Phone Number Will Text You Back a bell hooks Quote

What do you do if someone asks for your number and you don’t want to give them a real one?

There’s a new fake phone number for that: (669) 221-6251. When you text the number, it automatically texts back a quote from none other than bell hooks. Call the number and a computerized voice reads the a bell hooks quote aloud.

I tried it out myself this morning and received this quote in exchange:

A Tumblr promoting the “feminist phone intervention” launched yesterday, explaining that some anonymous individuals set up the phone line to help people protect their privacy while deterring unwanted calls.  

The short post announcing the phone number says:

because we’re raised to know it’s safer to give a fake phone number than to directly reject an aggressive guy.

because we’re raised to know that evasion or rejection can be met with violence.

because women are still threatened and punished for rejecting advances.

because (669) UGH-ASIF, WTF-DUDE, and MAJR-SHADE were taken.

because why give any old fake number, when you can have bell hooks screen your calls?

As far as I can tell in my very thorough experiment of repeatedly texting the number emjoi, there are only two bell hooks quotes in rotation. Maybe the anonymous creators will add more if the phone line catches on? 

Thanks to @elle_mccann and @mosarah for the heads up on this! Photo of bell hooks is via Creative Commons. 

Sarah Mirk is Bitch Media’s online editor. She also edits Wikipedia for fun.