Women in Black

by Rebecca Stone

During 2017, more women than ever have started speaking out about their experiences with sexual harassment, sexual coercion, unwanted sexual attention or gender harassment.

            After the investigations into Harvey Weinstein's conduct, more people began to speak out about sexual harassment, leading to a string of allegations against other prominent men like Donald Trump, Kevin Spacey, Roman Polanski and others. The campaign known as “Me Too” encouraged a number of famous celebrities, female influencers and everyday people alike, including Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence and many more, to tell their story and confirm a devastating and largely unspoken truth: that sexual assault and/ or harassment does happen, and is happening all over the globe, every day.

            The topic of Gender domination has also been breached. Women speaking out about their bosses using sexual coercion against them to continue their employment or for the victim to receive a promotion or pay increase. The phrase ‘quid pro quo’ comes to mind when talking about the ‘casting couch culture’. However, this action could be used both by the employer and by the employee so that they may receive the job. Men may question about where the boundary is between sexual coercion, where women are using their sexuality as an advantage for themselves and their future, and sexual harassment, the making of unwanted sexual advances, when questioned about this behaviour.

            In addition to this, the discrimination movement, when taken too literally, is used by some women, to alter someone’s decisions. Many women could complain about the gender discrimination to their sexuality in their job, and hence receive a larger salary, on account of the company not wanting to be sued for unlawful discrimination of gender at work.

            The discrimination movement should be women fighting for the equality of the female gender as a whole, and not just for themselves. It should not be taken as a loophole in to receiving what they want, nor should it be used for coercion.

            During the Golden Globes award, as part of the “Me Too” movement, women in the entertainment industry made a statement by wearing all-black dresses on the red carpet. The women expressed their solidarity through fashion, transforming “Me Too” in to “Time’s Up”. They were wearing black “not out of morning, but out of an awakening” says Salma Hayek, actress and producer. Several men also showed their support for the campaign by wearing ‘Time’s Up’ lapel pins.

            Some people appreciated the show of support and solidarity, others thought it to be empty and meaningless, and there were some who considered it a misjudged call to still (literally) shoulder the darkness they’d only just begun to escape. However, the sight of the red carpet swarming with black showed victims of assault and harassment that they should no longer simmer in the dark secrets and the shared silence, but to say “Time is up”, and embrace what they have so long tried to hide out of guilt and shame.