So here’s the deal: the spotlight and prevalence of sexual harassment is seemingly ‘coming out of the blue’ these days.
But what I–and most ladies I’ve talked to–know is that women have been facing the nuanced and blantant forms of sexual harassment for the majority of our own lives, it’s just now being called out en masse.
Here’s a few names that are coming to mind when I think of “sexual harassment in the news:”
- Bill Cosby
- Bill O’Reilly
- Donald Trump
- That radio guy who grabbed Taylor’s butt during a show
- Ke$ha’s music producer
- Harvey Weinstein
Wow those names came to mind quickly. A little too quickly. I yearn for a day where I have to think about that long and hard and do a lot of googling and STILL come up short.
In one sense it’s “unfortunate” that the #metoo movement has been so powerful (because it’s giving us a glimpse of just how common elements of sexual harassment have become in our lives. But in the bigger picture sense, I’m so grateful that women are revealing this uncomfortable and ugly truth because it’s necessary so we can heal and rise. TIME Magazine did us all a service by making the “Person of the Year” not one person but representing this rise in the collective with people who are the “Silence Breakers.” Women like Ashely Judd and Taylor Swift and an unidentifiable woman who represents those who are still not ready to talk about their stories.
Imagine a day when you never have to be worried about why you got the job. When it’s never a question–and better yet, neither you or anyone else even thinks to question–if it has something to do with your beauty. You got the job because your incredible intelligence, talents, and personality are the perfect fit for the role, that’s why.
In the spirit of growth and becoming a better world by spotlighting and talking about sexual harassment, we’ve put together some resources that may be of use to you.
WOMEN HAVE SPOKEN UP with #MeToo – TIME FOR MEN TO STEP UP
Here’s the awesome call to action from this piece by Dixie Laite:
Men: step up and demand change. Don’t ignore, belittle, or run from our #metoo stories. They are all we have. We don’t have the courts, the corporations, or laws on our side. We only have our stories and our hope that you will speak out, speak up, stop putting up and start stepping up. It’s time you stopped turning a blind eye, colluding, enabling, or just keeping silent. Your old boys’ network is just that – OLD. And for boys. It’s time to be men.
The Rock Test: A Hack for Men Who Don’t Want To Be Accused of Sexual Harassment
^^ This is both on point and hilarious and I highly recommend.
TIME’s Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers
Discussions of sexual harassment in polite company tend to rely on euphemisms: harassment becomes “inappropriate behavior,” assault becomes “misconduct,” rape becomes “abuse.” We’re accustomed to hearing those softened words, which downplay the pain of the experience. That’s one of the reasons why the Access Hollywood tape that surfaced in October 2016 was such a jolt. The language used by the man who would become America’s 45th President, captured on a 2005 recording, was, by any standard, vulgar. He didn’t just say that he’d made a pass; he “moved on her like a bitch.” He didn’t just talk about fondling women; he bragged that he could “grab ’em by the pussy.”
– from TIME’s Person of the Year, the Silence Breakers
Sexual Harassment, Al Franken, & Common Sense
#ThemToo: Sexual Harassment in Washington DC
Yippee! Fox News and Bill O’Reilly Have Taught Us How to Fight Sexual Harassment
IF THE CURRENT POLITICAL LANDSCAPE HAS YOU HORRIFIED, HERE’S HOW TO RESIST LIKE A BOSS
And here’s a simple but thought provoking TED talk that shows us how to start pivoting the language around sexual activity away from the baseball metaphors and more to–wait for it–pizza.
