SEX AND CAREER: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK

For two weeks now, the world has been in a fever with a sex scandal in Hollywood. The famous producer Harvey Weinstein is accused not just of sexual harassment, but of sexual violence, which lasted no less than 30 years. That’s how much Harvey Weinstein was at the top of the movie Olympus and how the movie Zeus allowed himself to fuck all the female actresses he liked.

The topic is loud, but it seems not my profile. It would seem that there is nothing for a psychologist to do in it, except perhaps for the police and the curious public, who would have nothing to do, if only not with their lives. But at the same time, the scandal raises very feminine topics – career and sex, can one be without the other, what to do if the path to your dream is blocked by someone’s lustful body and this body wants comfort in exchange for success. If you were raped – keep silent or speak, misogyny with declared gender equality, attitude towards a woman as an object in the world of men – in general, I could not pass by.

A woman can face sexual harassment in any career, but there are a number of professions in which a person is addicted more than others. Quite recently, in the 90s, the profession of a secretary was called nothing more than a “secretary”. The sexual service of the boss was implied so much that women who simply worked as secretaries were embarrassed to talk about their work aloud without any sexual overtones. This is because this work, although important, does not require special skills – almost anyone can master it. And in the 90s there was a crisis in the yard, work, where wages were paid, was worth its weight in gold. So the boss did what he wanted – impunity breeds unbridled shamelessness. I think that is why the position of the secretary is now renamed to “assistant manager”, “administrator” or “office manager”,

It’s the same with models. In the same 90s, escort girls were simply called models, or any model was called a “hanger” and confused with an escort. This is because the production of goods and their advertising is a world of big money, and hence men, and they believed that there were millions of “hangers” and in order for one of them to be chosen and made exclusive, it should work well. First in bed. The huge and invaluable merit of the supermodels of the 90s Claudia, Linda, Cindy, Naomi, and Kate is that they managed to bring modeling to a completely different level. They broke the dependence of the “hanger” on the customer. They removed the derogatory word “hanger” from the lexicon altogether and made beauty and personality exclusive. Now it is not a designer or an advertiser who chooses a “hanger” for himself but at the same time a toy in bed. From now on, the model herself chooses with whom she works and under what conditions.

Everything is sadder in the world of cinema and music. Actresses and singers can be endlessly talented, but they depend on the material. Will the composer write a good song together with the poet, will there be a worthy script and an interesting role, and, most importantly, will there be a producer who will invest money and then bring the finished product to the market and sell it profitably. Why are vocal shows like The Voice or The X Factor so popular? But why do we almost never hear about their winners and finalists again? As long as you can sing covers of other people’s songs on the show, we applaud and rejoice in the voice, but after the show, and most talented and unique singer needs good songs and a producer, and in most cases, they are not available. Or you have to pay. Flesh or money.

The same is true with movie roles. It all depends on the writer, director, and producer, and they are, in most cases, men. Harvey Weinstein was a genius producer. But why was it? His contribution to the world of cinema is undeniable, despite all the atrocities. He opened the world to Quentin Tarantino, thanks to him we saw the adaptation of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, Reservoir Dogs, Gangs of New York, The English Patient, The Little Buddha, Inglourious Basterds, the Lord of the Rings trilogy – there is hardly a person who is not familiar with at least one Weinstein film. His projects have garnered a bounty of Oscars, palm fronds, and other prestigious awards. One big man…

And a lustful bastard on the other, who did what he wanted for 30 years and remained unpunished. Now everyone is wondering why all these women were silent, who is 30, who is 10, who is 5 years old? After all, many of them have long made a name for themselves and a fortune and could pull any lawsuit. However, even having opened up after the scandalous publication in The New York Times, most of the victims admit harassment, they say, they called me into rooms, grabbed my breasts, masturbated in front of me, but deny rape.

Because it’s embarrassing. Remember the recent flash mob #I’m not afraid to say. Victim blaming – it’s your own fault, you yourself came to his room, why you didn’t leave, didn’t run, didn’t fight, your dress is short, you drank a glass of wine – what did you want, baby, she asked for it.

And also a profession. No matter how talented you are, no matter how wonderful roles you play, no matter what character you reveal, and no matter how great your contribution to the film industry is, if you are an actress, they will whisper after you “everything is clear, you earned fame through the bed.” For actresses, dancers, singers, the train of “slut”, and “lady of the demimonde” has long been stretching. They are even called contemptuously “actress”, “singer”.

Remember Degas’ famous ballerina sculpture? Why is she so ugly? Apart from pointe shoes and the name of the author, there is nothing beautiful in it. With this deliberate ugliness, Degas showed what connoisseurs of the art world did not like to think about – ballerinas had a reputation for prostitutes. Their clients were wealthy men who attended the opera, and dance classes for aspiring dancers were considered a market for female flesh, in which “younger” lovers looked out for their prey. Girls from 5 years old, from poor families, were accepted as students of ballet schools. Who among the rich would give their daughter such a life? And by the age of 14-17, any ballerina already had a rich experience of sexual adventures, but not because she wanted to or because there was no talent to dance, but because there was no other choice.

It’s the same with actresses. Theater, cinema, ballet, and opera have been and remain high art, which is appreciated and paid for. But for some reason, the women who create or represent it are themselves considered a bargaining chip, a prop that is easy to replace, not a pity to lose. Therefore, many actresses, such as Angie, become screenwriters, directors, and even producers of their own films. Angie, by the way, was among those who said they were harassed by Harvey Weinstein. Actresses master the full cycle of filmmaking to avoid those puffy fingers, greasy lips, and oily looks.

As for Weinstein… Of course, he is not the first and not the last man who uses his position to humiliate a woman and has not yet been punished by Themis for what he has done. But the scandal with him has gained such a scope that any producer will now shudder nervously at one hint that may be suspected of harassment. Hopefully, for a while, this will make them keep their fingers in their pockets and their dicks in their pants. And female actresses will be able to do in their profession what Linda, Naomi, Cindy, Kate, and Claudia did in their time – bring it to a level where the actress will be equal to the goddess and the goddesses will dictate the rules of the game.