ASK A FEMINIST
“Sexual Harassment & Success: Is this what young people should be looking up to?”
Ask A Feminist is our regular column tackling issues on sexism and womanhood in a real-life, 21st century context. This week, Photojournalism student, Jordan Sandham expresses her concern about celebrities who have been involved in sexual harassment cases still being rewarded and how it shows us that it still isn’t being taken seriously enough- women must continue to speak out and fight for justice.
On the 9th of November 2016, I woke up to learn that Donald Trump had been elected to become the next president of the United States of America after everything that he had said and done. I remember looking on social media and reading comments and posts from women in America both ordinary and celebrity and wondering how on earth this could have happened. How could so many people give a man who said “You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of ass” a platform in power to preach and promote this disgusting misogyny? On the 27th of February 2017, I watched Casey Affleck stand up to accept his Best Actor award at The Oscars, despite being sued twice in 2010 for sexual harassment. Not only that, but over the course of the awards season, actress Brie Larson, an advocate for sexual assault victims, was made to give Affleck two awards. Instead of refusing to give Affleck the award at the Oscars, Brie Larson simply did not clap for him, which gave out such a strong message to me as a viewer and hopefully sets a good example for other women too.
Sometimes doing nothing speaks more than anything.
“Is there a sexual harassment and success pattern beginning to emerge?” Trump being elected President and Casey Affleck winning best actor, is there a sexual harassment and success pattern beginning to emerge?
In the space of four months, two men who have both been accused and/or involved in sexual harassment cases, yet they have still been given success and a platform of power in the United States. Should we as women be concerned about the prospect of this not only becoming more common but also setting inappropriate standards for young people, especially young girls? Should they accept this as an acceptable standard of behavior? Sexual harassment should not be rewarded with success.
“There should be punishments that are equally as high profile as the rewards” Of course I’m not saying that people can’t change. I’m not saying that what you hear is always true. But, what I am saying is that there should be punishments that are equally as high profile as the rewards. It is sending out such a bad message to men and women alike. To men, don’t worry; you can still get whatever you want, you can still achieve your goals, even though you have made someone feel personally victimised and violated. To women, even though you have been made to feel personally victimised and violated, that doesn’t mean it should take any importance over his accomplishments.
As a woman in a society that sometimes feels so close, yet so far in terms of acceptance and equality between men and women, I am going to strive towards the promotion of positivity. I am going to reach for my dreams and aim for power, to show that it isn’t only men that can reach these power platforms and to set an example to other women, that all you can do is try, be kind to others and promote what is right.