Each year as con season hits its height, we see more and
more information and stories regarding sexual harassment within the nerd
community. Sometimes, it takes on serious and dangerous tones when comes to behavior
towards cosplayers, but other times it can seem more innocuous. I want to talk
about the more innocuous forms of sexual harassment that can take place.
Sexual harassment is by definition “any unwanted or uninvited
verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature.” Most often when we think of
sexual harassment, we tend to think in terms of the workplace, but it probably occurs
more frequently in everyday interactions than it does in the workplace. Not
that it isn’t still a problem in the workplace, but the recent discovery of prevalent
and pervasive sexual harassment at a place like Fox News seems to be the
exception rather than the rule. Of course, this could be in part to something
that I will discuss shortly rather than the fact that the issue has been
resolved.
Women face some form of sexual harassment almost on a daily
basis. We don’t often think about it because dealing with these situations have
become second nature. How many times have you experienced or heard someone else
tell a woman to smile more because she would be prettier? This seems like it is
harmless, but it is a form of sexual harassment. I know that I have experienced
this on numerous occasions in my life. Perhaps not daily, but at the very least
several times a week. Then we have the more aggressive cat-calling that can
happen. This used to be stereotyped construction worker behavior, but we are
seeing it more and more from people of all walks of life.
Sometimes, this behavior escalates from the verbal to more physical
advances. I can’t count the number of times I have been harassed in a public
setting, usually when out at a bar or club, by a guy who simply wouldn’t take
no for an answer. That is until I would say I have a boyfriend (sometimes true
but most of the time not) in order to get him to leave me alone. The only way
to avoid this type of harassment was to make it seem as though I “belonged” to
another man.
In any of these situations, women are taught to deflect or
ignore. The key thing is to not engage. Saying what you think about the
harassment that you are receiving can be dangerous. We don’t want to come off
as a bitch, so we may politely smile and move more quickly to our destination
when approached on the street. We may seek out other women to move in groups in
order to protect ourselves. We walk down the street with our keys between our
fingers, just in case.
This deflection and ignoring of the situation can become
even more complex in a con sort of environment. The issue of consent can become
murkier. Of course, any cosplayer wants to show off their hard work and act in
character. But when does that cross a line? With the increased sexualization of
comic book, anime, and other characters in the realm of nerdom, the lines can
be even more blurred. The key thing to remember is to never assume consent. If
you want to take a picture with that Harley Quinn cosplayer when you’re dressed
as the Joker, don’t assume that physical contact is appropriate unless you ask
permission.
I think the best option is to follow President Obama’s
example. A former staffer who worked with him once told a story about a massive
picture that the President was going to take. In the picture, he was standing
next to this women. Now, it was a group picture, so a certain amount of
touching was likely. However, Obama did not just assume that because of the
situation, he could put his arm around this young woman next to him. Instead,
he asked for consent to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment