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Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Ava DuVernay, Sterling Brown and more demand a #MeToo reckoning for women behind the camera
Salon.com: In many ways, the #MeToo movement has forced Hollywood to confront some of its most persistent and harmful inequities, like manipulation of power as seen through systemic sexual harassment and abuse, gender pay gaps and representation. But much of the conversation has been centered around women in front of the camera.
I am really happy that this conversation is being started. More often than not we tend to forget the individuals behind the scenes and focus on what's presented. The #MeToo movement is a wonderful movement and not only the faces of hollywood should benefit from it. When nothing is done about the gender pay gap, sexual assault and various injustices suffered by women who work behind the scenes, it forces women to give up what they love due another person's selfishness. It is very important that the steps that are being taken to address this issue is made transparent. The reason why I say this is not because of critique but to be able to get input on what more can be done. No one can tell you more about an issue except the person going through it and that same person can tell you what they know or believe will be the best solution. Also when an issue is fixed on the front and behind, there will be a better and more pleasant environment for the actors and production crew which in turn affects the work that is being put out to the world. Stephanie Akpapuna.
Entertainment is, unfortunately, a male dominated industry, as are many industries around the world which is, for a fact, unjust towards the equal amount of hard work put in by female employees. Men and women work the same number of hours, and put up with an identical set of problems. However this similarity is often overlooked by people who believe that men are the front runners of the line. That isnt the case. Women and their hard work is simply hidden by the shadow of patriarchy that exists everywhere. But is this patriarchy strong enough to deter women from working for jobs that they love and that help them be independent. No. Women are too strong to let these differences move their focus from their work. But that doesn't mean that they are not aware about the differences. They very much are! Probably it was this knowledge's saturation point that led women who are in front of the camera to speak up. #TimesUp and #MeToo are examples of that. But what about women who are behind the camera or stage that spend hours and hours trying to showcase people in front of the camera and on stage in their best light. People probably dont even remember that they too are a part of the entertainment industry. But these women arent at the mercy of others to recognize and speak up against the differences. They have, in their own ways, tried to accomplish a balance in the differences, whether it is through legislation, petition etc. And hopefully, some time in the future, these women who are "behind the line", will achieve equality in their work space, because they would have worked hard towards that.
What I really enjoyed about this is that the letter that Ava DuVernay and others penned is not just a call to arms or outline of the problems faced by those behind the camera or offstage. I appreciate that the letter calls out the problem, but also offeres up a very reasonable and implementable solution. The Article describes this, stating, "The letter outlines action steps for the entertainment industry to follow in order to successfully combat the gender pay gap for women behind the scenes, including the suggestion that all productions conduct a study of gender disparities in wages and then close the gap, and encourages the implementation of equity riders, which the letter describes as similar to inclusion riders, that enforce productions to abide by equal pay going forward." Having a study conducted is crucial to determine just what the current climate and situation of a particular space is. Acting without a full picture is not something that anyone should jump into, and allowing a study to take place and provide context is very important. The equity riders also seem like an enforceable method to ensure that equity is actually achievable and I would very much love to see some of the language that would go into a rider like that.
3 comments:
I am really happy that this conversation is being started. More often than not we tend to forget the individuals behind the scenes and focus on what's presented. The #MeToo movement is a wonderful movement and not only the faces of hollywood should benefit from it. When nothing is done about the gender pay gap, sexual assault and various injustices suffered by women who work behind the scenes, it forces women to give up what they love due another person's selfishness. It is very important that the steps that are being taken to address this issue is made transparent. The reason why I say this is not because of critique but to be able to get input on what more can be done. No one can tell you more about an issue except the person going through it and that same person can tell you what they know or believe will be the best solution. Also when an issue is fixed on the front and behind, there will be a better and more pleasant environment for the actors and production crew which in turn affects the work that is being put out to the world.
Stephanie Akpapuna.
Entertainment is, unfortunately, a male dominated industry, as are many industries around the world which is, for a fact, unjust towards the equal amount of hard work put in by female employees. Men and women work the same number of hours, and put up with an identical set of problems. However this similarity is often overlooked by people who believe that men are the front runners of the line. That isnt the case. Women and their hard work is simply hidden by the shadow of patriarchy that exists everywhere.
But is this patriarchy strong enough to deter women from working for jobs that they love and that help them be independent. No. Women are too strong to let these differences move their focus from their work. But that doesn't mean that they are not aware about the differences. They very much are!
Probably it was this knowledge's saturation point that led women who are in front of the camera to speak up. #TimesUp and #MeToo are examples of that.
But what about women who are behind the camera or stage that spend hours and hours trying to showcase people in front of the camera and on stage in their best light. People probably dont even remember that they too are a part of the entertainment industry. But these women arent at the mercy of others to recognize and speak up against the differences. They have, in their own ways, tried to accomplish a balance in the differences, whether it is through legislation, petition etc.
And hopefully, some time in the future, these women who are "behind the line", will achieve equality in their work space, because they would have worked hard towards that.
What I really enjoyed about this is that the letter that Ava DuVernay and others penned is not just a call to arms or outline of the problems faced by those behind the camera or offstage. I appreciate that the letter calls out the problem, but also offeres up a very reasonable and implementable solution. The Article describes this, stating, "The letter outlines action steps for the entertainment industry to follow in order to successfully combat the gender pay gap for women behind the scenes, including the suggestion that all productions conduct a study of gender disparities in wages and then close the gap, and encourages the implementation of equity riders, which the letter describes as similar to inclusion riders, that enforce productions to abide by equal pay going forward." Having a study conducted is crucial to determine just what the current climate and situation of a particular space is. Acting without a full picture is not something that anyone should jump into, and allowing a study to take place and provide context is very important. The equity riders also seem like an enforceable method to ensure that equity is actually achievable and I would very much love to see some of the language that would go into a rider like that.
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