In the past few months, so many public figures have been in the spotlight due to sexual harassment allegations—Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, and most recently Matt Lauer. It has gotten to the point where you hope that when your CNN notifications go off, the name following the words “sexual harassment” is not your favorite celebrity.
Yet, so many questions arise in the midst of these allegations. What is really going on in Hollywood? Why is it mostly men that hold high positions that are accused? And why is no one speaking up, other than the victims? It is almost scary to even think that as a Communications major, I am preparing myself and building up a resume that could potentially land me in the same exact environment as these victims — it makes me wonder, who will speak for me if I’m too afraid to speak for myself? Yet sadly, this is not something that happens only in Hollywood.
By definition, sexual harassment is harassment in a workplace, or other professional or social situations, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks. According to an article found on vox.comthe top industries with the highest sexual harassment incidents include trade, sales and marketing, hospitality, and health care. A recent study shows that one in every four women experiences sexual harassment in the workplace. While a similar poll found that one in 10 men also experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Numbers like these would lead one to believe that literally no one and no place is safe, with the influx of stories in recent news, sexual harassment seems to be the elephant in the room?. However, this should not be the case. Sexual harassment should never get swept under the rug, neither by the victim nor those witnessing it. If it feels wrong, most likely it is wrong. There are many outlets to report sexual harassment, whether you’ve been subjected to it or have witnessed it. No job title should ever stop you from doing what is morally right, which seems to be the case, especially with these high-profile cases regarding harassment. Many people seem to not speak up out of fear of losing their jobs. While on one hand, it is understandable, because at the end of the day we need our jobs and careers in order to survive, on the other hand, place yourself, your mother, and even your brother in the shoes of people who are harassed daily in the workplace daily. Wouldn’t you want someone to speak up, if they couldn’t do it themselves.