Bars providing code words for women that feel unsafe

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Sunday, January 15, 2017
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(Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Screen Gems/AP Images)
Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Screen Gems/AP Images-AP

The growing popularity of online dating means that people are constantly meeting up with strangers, often in unfamiliar settings.

While these dating sites boast fairy tale endings, the reality is that these situations can sometimes be very dangerous. One mother in Kingwood hasn't been seen since meeting with a man she met online.

Advertising the Angel Shot is a growing trend across the country to help combat this scary reality. The idea is giving a customer a way to be a discreet way to ask for help if they feel threatened.

So what is an angel shot? First it's not a shot at all, its code. A person can say they want to order an angel shot neat, that means the bartender will help you to your car. If a person orders an angel shot on the rocks that means the bartender will call a taxi or Uber. If a person orders an angel shot with lime, then the bartender will call the police.

These coded messages were first formed in England, where women began "asking for Angela" to signal they were unsafe.

These code words aren't always "Angel Shot" or "Angela". Each establishment posts their own code in the women's restroom, so that men can't understand that the women are signaling for help.

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