According to an article in Teen Vogue, the sexual harassment at the festival is frequent, and has even become a “norm” for women. Vera Papisova, the writer of the article and Features Editor for the magazine, said that she was groped 22 times throughout her 10-hour Coachella experience.
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The shocking thing about this article is that Coachella has acknowledged this problem but has done absolutely nothing to solve the issue. Many of the women I go to music festivals with think the same way as many of the women in this article. Small things like men touching their butts within the crowds and making really nasty remarks about their festival outfits have become the new norm and just festival culture. Most people don't say anything about the more micro aggressive things because they are afraid of ruining the vibe or starting something when they are at this festival to have fun. Besides speaking up, I don't know what else could be done. Much of this issue is brought by much of the misogyny that is present in the predominantly male performers attitudes and music itself that perpetuates this type of messy behavior within their fans. I would hope that in the future, not only are their more women performing but also more outspoken women that aren't afraid to spearhead this movement on a festival stage.
I think this article is really interesting in conjunction with the article earlier this week about what Coachella is doing to prevent terrorism. Overall, I wish I was surprised by the contents of this article. However, I would have hoped since the #MeToo movement that music festivals would have made more of an effort to protect its patrons. If 90% of all female festival goers are sexually assaulted there is clearly a problem with the culture at these events. I hope that people reading these articles are the ones going to concerts. Since there is no retribution for these encounters, I don’t know if people realize that their actions are wrong and hopefully articles like this will make people realize. I agree with the article in that festival goers need to keep speaking up until this problem is fixed. Hopefully Coachella and other festivals will start to take sexual harassment more seriously to protect its patrons.
The security team at Coachella should be given an award. Finally, commercial drones being used in a way that's not stupid people flying them around taking useless videos and annoying everyone. Drones can send video feeds back in real time to the operator, and can move more swiftly throughout the festival as well as get aerial views of large crowds. Sure, the extra security at the festival may have killed the vibe a little bit. But you know what kills the vibe a lot? A mass shooting. I'm pleased that the security team at Coachella has taken all of these tragic events seriously, and had the foresight to know that the festival would be a prime location for another mass shooting, and too preventative measures to protect the public. I'd like to see security measures like these implemented at all large gatherings, especially those which take place outside without much cover.
I think what is most upsetting about this article is that even though Coachella and many other musical festivals know that sexual harassment is existing problem and yet they do nothing about it. Women should no longer be sitting in the side lines letting terrible things happen to them that are deemed “normal” in society’s mind. It is not okay and it is definitely not normal. I hope that Coachella will act quick into implementing some new anti sexual harassment program so all the other musica festivals can follow suit. I think it is good that parts of our communities are fighting for new programs that will train members of the staff in noticing seual violence and stopping it. I think it is important that these conversations are being had and these women’s voices are heard. Why should anyone suffer from enjoying a concert they were dying to see just because of some unwanted fondling. It is inappropriate and unfair and things need to change.
I love concerts and music festivals. There is nothing like hearing the music directly form the artist while being surrounded by a group of people having fun and just really enjoying themselves. And usually getting hit by a wall of bass because the bass is always up way high (I love it). But it is really sad that music venues are not a safe place for women. No one wants to be sexually harassed, so why do it when a woman is at a concert just trying to have fun? It really infuriates me that something like music, which is supposed to be an escape for me, is a place where other woman and myself are not safe from the sad reality of rape culture. It also makes me mad that Coachella isn’t addressing this issue. Like the article put, they are the one of the largest music festivals. They should feel their duty to make their festival a safer place because when they do other festivals will follow suit and be demanded to make their concerts a safer place.
Of course sexual harassment happens at Coachella, and every other music festival, and every other place and event in the world. I really do not appreciate the surprised and ignorant tone of this article. But, getting past that, I find it infuriating and depressing to read things like this everytime. Being harassed, groped, and grinded on without consent is a GIVEN at events like this. I remember being in high school, sophomore year, when me and my female friends were realizing this about the world. At a big party with loud music and tons of people at Georgia’s ThesCon, there were guys who tried to grind on me in the midst of all the music and people pressed up against each other. It was a non-aggressive type of thing, testing the waters to see if I would respond, and me and my friends took it all as the way things were, the new way to ask if someone wanted to dance. I’m disgusted that we live in a world where females are so conditioned to be submissive that this was taken as commonplace by me and my friends, not even thinking to challenge this behavior. Music festivals are the same. We prepare to be harassed. We take measures to know what to do WHEN, not IF, it happens. Especially in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting that put all people in danger in a place of peace and joy, I feel almost hopeless that any person, especially women, will ever feel safe in places like this again. That thing about the woman giving up her front-row spot was just heartbreaking. Screw all the people who ruin women’s days in such immoral, disrespectful, misogynistic ways. And let’s not forget the female technicians who are suffering from the same harassment. For them, Coachella is just one stop on the tour.
I agree with a lot of what Shahzad is saying, as women- not even just in the music festival/ concert venues- have almost a mindset of knowing that at some point throughout their day they will face some form of sexual harassment or sexual assault- and its truly disgusting that that is the point that we are at in today’s world, and even more disgusting that Coachella- a $114.5 million dollar festival, cannot seem to find it within themselves to take a stance for protecting their patrons that make them into the mega success that they are. The fact that people are having to “continue wearing backpacks, hiding in the back of crowds, and dealing with sexual harassment as a “norm.”” is appalling when what music festivals should be about is being free everything but the music. I definitely think that it will take a large scale music festival like Coachella to create widespread change in regards to sexual assault and harassment at other music festivals, but Coachella needs to make that step before this problem gets worse.
It is so frustrating that sexual harassment is considered the norm at music festivals for women. I have never been to an outdoor music festival like Coachella or the others mentioned in the article, but I have been to a bunch of concerts since I was in middle school and I don’t think I have ever been sexually assaulted at concerts. So I’m wondering what the differences are in the reports between music festivals and smaller indoor concerts and if there is any at all. I like to think going to live music performances is just that - going to a live performance and seeing people do really amazing things live, not an opportunity to grab as many butts as possible. I think an effective security measure would be to have plain clothes security people throughout the crowd who could track rowdy and inappropriate behavior and just kick out anyone who assaults someone else. People get kicked out for fighting, why not for sexual harassment?
Articles like these are always a little disheartening, but I am glad that the visibility and awareness of these issues is increasing. I always dislike the use of the work "norm" in these types of articles because I think it, on some level, normalizes what is being talked about, and I think it usually is not a productive way to talk about an issue like assault. I know plenty of my friends go to coahella every year and they will deliberately pack certain clothes or make sure to layer clothing to make sure someone doesn't get too close and so that they can protect themselves. I know one rule many of my friends follow is to always wear denim or some other thicker fabric for shorts to avoid the types of touching talked about in this article. I am hoping that by bringing awareness to this issue people, especially those who actually run music festivals like these, will start to make more of an effort to protect women at these types of events.
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