In the three weeks since The New York Times published an exposé about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment and assault, the floodgates seem to have opened. The #MeToo movement has taken off on Twitter. Women are publicly sharing their harassment stories about other Hollywood power players, actors, industry insiders, journalists, businessmen, and former U.S. presidents. The filmmakers behind sexual assault docs “The Hunting Ground” and “The Invisible War” will turn the camera on Hollywood itself for their next project.
As these revelations keep surfacing, dozens of pieces about the rampant sexual harassment in Hollywood and elsewhere have been published. Here are just a few of those stories.
“A TV Executive Sexually Assaulted Me: A Critic’s Personal Story” and “Can We End the Myth That You Have to Be a Bully to Make It in Hollywood?” (Maureen Ryan, Variety)
From “A Critic’s Personal Story”: “We may not be able to rid the world of sociopaths, but we can surely do something about the culture of complicity. We have to take real action, unless you want survivors like me driven out of the industry for good (which has been the case with so many men and women who came forward recently). When it comes to abusers, assaulters, and harassers, a system of meaningful consequences must be enforced (or constructed, in some cases). I have my doubts about whether the industry has the stomach for that. What we did see this month, finally, was a mass of survivors coming forward, which is laudable and understandable: There is strength in numbers.”
From “Can We End the Myth?”: “Hollywood is very good at selling stories, and what it values, celebrates, and spreads around has an outsized effect on audiences everywhere. If it constantly rewards and commissions tales of men who should be excused for their screaming, shouting, abuse, and cruelty, it helps normalize the very behaviors and patterns that millions of people across the country — and the world — are trying hard to change.”
“Selma Blair and Rachel McAdams Share Their Stories of James Toback’s Sexual Harassment” (Krista Smith with Julie Miller, Vanity Fair)
“The consistent themes in the stories of Blair, McAdams, and the hundreds of actresses who have come forward with their own tales of harassment hint at some of the reasons charges of sexual misconduct have plagued Hollywood since its inception. Actors and actresses, newcomers especially, essentially are always auditioning — any encounter, especially in a company town such as Los Angeles, could lead to a big break. The situation is compounded by the fact that many acting courses teach students to use, explore, and expose their vulnerabilities. So when a threatening individual manipulates a performer’s insecurities in a meeting purportedly related to an acting role, the experience can be confusing … Perhaps Weinstein knew this when he reportedly asked to massage and be massaged by women. Perhaps Toback knew this when he allegedly asked young women, after rattling off his film credits and famous friends, to trust him and disrobe so that he could help them become better actresses.”
“The Motion Picture Academy Is Establishing a ‘Code of Conduct’ Because Apparently Men Need One” (Rachel Withers, Slate)
“Here’s a suggested code of conduct for all members of the human race: Don’t be a dick.”
“The dark history behind letting male ‘geniuses’ get away with bad behavior” (Tara Isabella Burton, Vox)
“Part of this is the way these industries are structured; often the arts lack the more obvious hierarchical nature that come with corporate America, like HR departments and formal codes of conduct, making it potentially difficult for bad behavior to simply slip through the cracks. But part of the problem, too, is cultural. All too often, artistic expression — and artistic freedom — has doubled as a kind of smokescreen for self-indulgent behavior: The erotic feelings art and artistic collaboration evokes in (usually) men is so deep-seated, so powerful that they cannot help (they say) but succumb to their urges.”
“Yes, This Is a Witch Hunt. I’m a Witch and I’m Hunting You.” (Lindy West, New York Times)
“I keep thinking about what #MeToo would look like if it wasn’t a roll call of people who’ve experienced sexual predation, but a roll call of those who’ve experienced sexual predation and actually seen their perpetrator brought to justice, whether professionally, legally or even personally. The number would be minuscule. Facebook’s algorithm would bury it … The witches are coming, but not for your life. We’re coming for your legacy. The cost of being Harvey Weinstein is not getting to be Harvey Weinstein anymore. We don’t have the justice system on our side; we don’t have institutional power; we don’t have millions of dollars or the presidency; but we have our stories, and we’re going to keep telling them. Happy Halloween.”
“#YouToo: We Need To Talk About Loophole Women” (Andi Zeisler, Bitch)
“Ariel Levy, in 2005’s ‘Female Chauvinist Pigs,’ called this person the ‘loophole woman,’ noting that such a figure is ‘the exception that proves the rule, and the rule is that women are inferior.’ Gillian Flynn, in an indelible passage from ‘Gone Girl,’ called her the ‘cool girl’ and ran down her attributes (never complains, loves chili dogs, etc.) with forensic accuracy. In a 2015 piece for Matter, Alana Massey identified the emotional asceticism demanded in an age of online dating as ‘chill,’ naming the highly prized trait as ‘a sinister refashioning of Calm down! from an enraging and highly gendered command into an admirable attitude.’ And anyone who read or watched ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ can identify a Serena Joy, exalted as she does the patriarchy’s work of shrinking and silencing others, only realizing too late that her own shrinking and silencing is required as well. As high-profile revelations about predatory men tumble out onto our timelines like clown-car passengers, the role of such women has come into focus. They are the collateral damage of a long-brewing disaster, a crucial bit of circuitry in a dangerous system. We can’t blame them, but we have to reckon with them.”
