Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes, Donald Trump, Bill Cosby, and now Harvey Weinstein. These are names on the growing list of powerful men in Hollywood and media accused of sexual harassment and/or assault. But the commonalities between these men extend beyond their careers and infamous accusations. Another important attribute they share is their age. All of the men on this notorious list are old. With all of the men being in their 60s or older, it begs the question: is age a factor in predicting the likelihood of sexual harassment? Maybe not in predicting whether or not a man will sexually harass a woman, but definitely in predicting whether or not the behavior will be discovered if they do. The listed men rose to power in a time where sexual harassment was not taken seriously. Hollywood has always been an ‘old boys’ club’, where power and influence were reserved for men, and women scrambled to keep up. Incidents of sexual harassment were ignored, or even accepted. Until now.
In a jarring expose written by Ronan Farrow for The New Yorker, multiple women share their stories of sexual harassment and assault by Harvey Weinstein, an American film producer and founder of Miramax. The women’s stories are eerily similar. Most of the encounters began under the pretense of a meeting regarding the women’s acting careers, but took a harrowing turn when Weinstein would change into a bathrobe, ask for massages, try to grope the women, and in some cases force oral or vaginal sex. But another common detail, a frightening and sickening detail, was the reaction of the women. Almost all of the women interviewed in the New Yorker story say that after refusing his advances and repeatedly saying “no”, they eventually gave up. The women describe Weinstein as “large” and “intimidating”, and felt overpowered by him. Asia Argento, an Italian actress interviewed in the expose, said that when Weinstein forced oral sex on her, she eventually stopped saying no and feigned enjoyment, thinking it was the only way the assault would end. Argento, along with other women who have come forward, say that they have dealt with intense guilt for not fighting back harder and not coming forward earlier. And almost all of the women agree that they didn’t come forward originally because they feared retaliation– in both their careers and in a legal capacity. As stated in a New York Times article, “more established actresses were fearful of speaking out because they had work; less established ones were scared because they did not.” Many of these incidents were decades ago, but the stories are finally coming out, thanks in part to successful actresses who no longer rely on Weinstein.
Stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie are coming forward with their personal stories of encounters with Weinstein. Paltrow says she was only 22 years old when she was sexually harassed by Weinstein after taking on the starring role in his Jane Austen adaptation of “Emma”. Paltrow said that she confided in her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident, and was later berated by Weinstein for speaking out. Worried that he might fire her and destroy her chances of being a successful actress in the future, Paltrow kept quiet. Now an entrepreneur and a solid sought after actress, Paltrow is no longer worried and is using her voice and her story to back up the dozens of women with similar allegations and take a stand against sexual harassment. “We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over. This way of treating women ends now,” she said.
Jolie also had a bad experience with Weinstein in the late 1990s and stated that “this behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.” Famous actresses, such as Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Glenn Close, and Judi Dench and actors, such as Kevin Smith, Judd Apatow, and Mark Ruffalo, are speaking out against the injustice as well. With this many famous voices speaking up against sexual harassment and so-called “casting-couch abuses”, it seems that change is finally coming. Within the past year, Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly were fired due to sexual harassment allegations. And now, Harvey Weinstein joins the list after being fired from The Weinstein Company, a company he co-founded.
Sexual harassment by men in power is no longer being ignored. More women are coming forward to recount their experiences about sexual harassment and sexual assault. Now, in the age of social media, it is becoming increasingly difficult for their stories to be ignored or silenced. The voices of these brave women are inspiring more women to break out from their silence because they feel they will be backed up– and most importantly, believed. Once women are brave enough to tell their truths and not hide behind their wrongful shame, powerful men will not be able to get away with sexual harassment. They will not be able to pay these women off, threaten their careers, or use their power and influence to intimidate them into silence. They will be forced to face their wrongdoings and deal with the consequences.
While sexual harassment is still rampant in the workplace, it is huge victories like these that give us hope that soon it will no longer be tolerated or ignored, but condemned. Soon unsavory men will stop seeing their power as an excuse or a justification for bad behavior, but will use it respectfully and cautiously. Sooner than later, we hope, women will be able to go to meetings to talk about the future of their career with hope for new endeavors, not fear of being sexually harassed or assaulted.
By: Cianna Allen