The issue of sexual assault has been at the forefront of the media lately, especially since the bombshell New York Times reporting on sexual assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein.
Countless women have stepped forward and admitted that they have experienced sexual harassment or assault in the film industry, among many others.
However, society still has a mindset that tends to blame women in these cases. There have been a ton of comments questioning why these female accusers did not speak up about this kind of abuse earlier – in effect, questioning whether their claims were even valid in the first place.
However, these commenters are clearly missing the point.
Sexual harassment is about way more than sex – it’s about power. And in the case of many of these young actresses, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, who were trying to break into the business, breaking their silence could have cost them their careers.
A commenter from Brooklyn, simply identified as “K” in the comments section, did a great job of explaining why women often feel forced to stay silent when this kind of incident happens.
They said, “It is disheartening to see so many comments already blaming women for not ‘speaking up.’”
“Please count yourself lucky that you’ve never had your career on the line based on whether or not you sleep with your boss. It has nothing to do with fame and riches; this happens to women making minimum wage in retail as well as women who fought through it to become CEOs.”
And that’s true. It’s not just women in the film industry who experience this type of harassment. Women in all fields have discovered that there are times when they must stay silent about injustice directed toward them for the sake of their careers. And it’s really not anybody’s place to blame them, the victims.
“K” continued:
“The psychology behind this kind of thing is not that complex, so please spare a moment to consider: Not only are these women made to feel humiliated and embarrassed, but in some cases if they had come forward, they not only would never work again, they also would be seen as whiners and ‘too sensitive.’ Both Jolie and Paltrow fended him off. Imagine if they made a big stink about it. They would have been ripped apart in the media! ‘Oh for goodness’ sake, a dirty old man came on to you. You rejected him and moved on, why the fuss?’ But, of course, now we must insist on blaming them for ‘perpetuating’ Weinstein’s behavior. Please.”
The commenter even pointed out that Brad Pitt, who had dated both Paltrow and Jolie, had not been criticized for not speaking out, though he had known about the assaults on both of his girlfriends.
“K” concluded the comment with this statement: “It is not the women’s job to monitor men’s behavior.”
“We are doing the best we can with what we have to survive in a world that depends on our subjugation.”
Therefore, not only do we have to hold men who assault and harass women accountable, but we also have to stop blaming the women who call them out. They are the victims, and no matter how they decide to talk – or not talk – about their assaults, we cannot forget that they are not the ones who need to be blamed for the behavior of the men who have committed crimes against them.
An NYT reader’s reaction to Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and
others saying Harvey Weinstein harassed them https://t.co/apUsZUGbKI pic.twitter.com/ZgBpQIkrnj— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 10, 2017
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