Can I start by off saying YES! This advertisement campaign has officially given me hope again that maybe things will change. I was scrolling through tumblr tonight when I saw a series of ads against street harassment. The link at the bottom of the post sent me to a website for the ad campaign, HollabackPHILLY. Starting in 2013, the campaign aimed to not raise awareness, but instead show people that it is in fact a problem. The campaign originally ran on a minimal budget in subway cars in Philadelphia, but starting on April 1, the campaign will expand to include bus shelters and subway station platforms.
Though many people have referred to it as such, this was not an “awareness raising” campaign. Do we need to raise awareness that the sky is blue? Street harassment is so common and normalized that we hardly even talk about it. Instead, our goal was to name it, and by naming it, problematize it. - Deputy Director Anna Kegler
On the website, examples of the ads, as well as reactions to them, are posted.
As a female, I have experienced street harassment starting when I was about 12 or 13 years old. Most of the men I have talked to, and some of the women too, believe it is simply a part of life and that there is no harm to catcalls or whistling at someone as they walk by. But there is harm. When girls no longer feel comfortable and safe doing everyday activities such as walking around the neighborhood or taking the subway, there is a serious problem. I am so grateful to this ad campaign for showing people that this type of behavior is not acceptable. I hope that one day anyone will be able to walk down the street without fear of harassment from a random stranger. This campaign is definitely a step in the right direction.
One of my new favorite trends has to be female celebrities calling out Hollywood and interviewers on their sexiest tendencies and remarks. It shows to the viewers that sexism should not just be tolerated as a necessary evil, but instead needs to be rebelled against if women do want the same treatment as men. It is my hope that from seeing these celebrities, that many consider to be role models or even idols, speak out against sexism that other women and girls start to speak out against the sexism they experience in their own lives.
Demi Lovato's vs. X-Factor contestant
I was so proud of Demi for calling out both the contestant and Simon for their sexism. By calling her woman, they are belittling her authority on the subject and also belittling her as a person. The fact that Demi calls out her boss, Simon, for being sexist towards her shows that she was so offended that she felt it necessary to speak up, even if it meant her getting in trouble off camera.
Scarlet Johansson vs. Interviewer
If you skip to about 3:30, you will hear a female interviewer ask both Robert and Scarlet a question about the same movie, but the questions are drastically different. While Robert is asked how he approached his role with maturity as a human being, Scarlet is asked about her diet she used to get in shape for the movie. I believe that her response is very professional, while very telling.
Anne Hathaway vs. Interviewers
In the first two gifs, Anne is asked a very similar question that Scarlet was asked as they both had to get into shape to play superheros. I love how Anne refused to answer the question and instead replied with sarcasm. Why is it so important for the entire world to know what diet she was on or how much she exercised to get into the catsuit, unless they plan on trying to be Catwoman as well.
In the second two gifs, Anne is being interviewed for the move Les Miserables in which she played a very thin, starving woman. I think her answer to this question is very appropriate. She does not want the people watching her interviews to think they should lose a lot of weight because she did for the movie. She instead emphasized how sickly she looked in the movie, which deters viewers from trying to copy her weight loss.
Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler vs. Hollywood
Two comments of Tina and Amy's opening monologue of the Golden Globes this year stuck out to me. These two women used their power as hosts to bring some light to the way that women are treated in Hollywood through sarcasm. One comment was that Gravity was a movie about how "George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend more more minute with a woman his own age." The second was about how Mathew McConaughey for his role in Dallas Buyer's Club "lost 45 pounds, or what actresses call being in a movie." It is my hope that those in attendance of the award show as well as viewers at home don't simply brush off their comments as only jokes, but instead really think about how Hollywood forces actresses to be very thin, and no longer give them work once they reach a certain age. Unless, of course, they are Meryl Streep.
Approximately 24 people per min are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. With stalking being so prevalent, one would hope that the media would help to minimize these types of crimes. One would be wrong. Just listening to "Redneck Crazy" by Tyler Farr I could point out two problematic themes: the romanticizing stalking and victim blaming. Before I continue, please take a minute to listen to the song.
Romanticizing Stalking
The whole premise of the song is that if the man did not love the girl so much, he would not be sitting outside her house all night long. It seems almost romantic, that this man is so hurt by the woman's actions that he is driven to stalking, but stalking is not romantic. It is terrifying, causing people to fear for themselves and their loved ones. I don't know about you, but I would definitely be scared if a drunk man was sitting outside my house all night, staring and throwing beer cans at my house. I would not be flattered, and I would not think it was romantic at all.
Victim Blaming
"You know you broke the wrong heart baby, and drove me redneck crazy."
"You know that's just not the kind of man I am. Yeah, I'm the kind that shows up at your house at 3 A.M."
These two lyrics show best the victim blaming that is present in the song. The man blames the woman for him stalking her and being ready to fight her other man because she broke his heart. It is her fault that he is sitting outside of her house all night long. However, the blaming does not stop there. He goes on to say that she knew what would happen if she hurt him like she did. That takes responsibility off of the man and puts it onto the woman because "she knew what she was getting herself into." While yes, she should not have cheated on him, it does not give him the right to stalk her.
The problem with these two things is that it makes the stalker out to be a man so passionately in love who was hurt by an evil woman so she gets what she deserves. If stalking is made to seem romantic and the victim's fault, then men who do commit these crimes will not feel the need to change their ways. Also, it could cause other men to rationalize stalking and do it themselves. Stalking is not romantic and it is no one's fault but the stalker. No matter what this song, that is played very often on country radio, leads you to believe.
