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    • Why Aren’t Men ‘Allowed’ To Speak Up About Sexism And Objectification?

    By on December 17, 2017

    Kit Harington

    Games of Thrones actor Kit Harington was the subject of ridicule last week, after speaking up about sexism in the entertainment industry.

    “There’s definitely a sexism in our industry that happens towards women, and there is towards men as well,” he told the the Sunday Times. “At some points during photoshoots when I’m asked to strip down, I felt that.”

    Yes, Harington – he of shredded six-pack, impeccable hair fame – doesn’t like being objectified. He even said: “If I felt I was being employed just for my looks, I’d stop acting.”

    My first reaction on seeing the story was a creeping sense of cringe. Not just for Kit, but for all mankind. There’s nothing quite like a man claiming to be a victim of sexism to make us all sound like a bunch of ignorant, out-of-touch cry-babies.

    We know deep down that any discrimination we experience is significantly outweighed by what women face

    But then I thought again: why is that? Why aren’t men ‘allowed’ to speak up about sexism and objectification?

    It’s not the first time Harington has broached the issue. Last year he told the New York Post, “To always be put on a pedestal as a hunk is slightly demeaning.” He backed down after the inevitable criticism, saying “I’m going to be a good little hunk and shut up from now on.”

    Now, he’s facing a similar backlash – by which I mean snarky types on Twitter, male and female, have laid into him, have made the predictable retort: “You know nothing, Jon Snow”.

    Some have criticised him for confusing sexism with objectification (a stellar way to belittle and divert from the real issue); others have given him a figurative sword to the gut for daring to equate sexism against men to that which women face on a daily basis.

    Kit Harington in Game of Thrones

    This is, of course, a source of major tension between the sexes, particularly on social media, where women are often accused of ignoring or shutting men down when it comes to issues of sexism. (Indeed, whenever the Telegraph Women’s section runs anything on sexual harassment against women, a slew of male voices ask why the same is rarely reported for men).

    And on some level it’s ludicrous for TV’s most smouldering heartthrob to say he’s felt a victim of sexism (especially as most of men would kill for that six-pack and whip it out at every opportunity). But he’s right. Of course sexism against men exists. And of course it happens in the workplace – whether that’s a film set or an office.

    I hate to be one of those point-scoring contrarians who says, “if it was the other way around” – but it’s true?

     The feminist movement against sexism and objectification of women is part of the zeitgeist; it becomes stronger every day as we break new ground in the battle for gender equality. And rightly so. If women were made to feel uncomfortable by being asked to strip down, as Harington observed he had, it would cause outrage.

    The problem with the comments is context. Put through the prism of the entertainment industry, the sexism that men face pales compared that that which women must endure.

    Jennifer Lawrence continues to speak out against Hollywood’s gender pay gap; women are sexualised as standard; on-screen roles for women are so poorly serviced that a call for “strong female characters” has to be a thing (and a separate category on Netflix); and conventional good looks and a desirable figure are pretty much entry level requirements for big-money movies.

    There needs to be a forum for everyone to talk, without the fear of being shut down

    It’s been going on for over a century – institutionalised sexism at every level, which only serves to objectify women and maintain division between the sexes.

    But does that mean that men shouldn’t be allowed to speak up about their own experiences of sexism? Isn’t that just sexism in action?

    There are odd fleeting moments where men find a platform to speak out. In March, Telegraph Women reported on a Reddit thread that invited men to share their experiences on sexual harassment (something I’ve experienced in the workplace myself, but don’t like to go on about).

    Actor Ryan Gosling also chipped in on the topic of sexism, last week, in an interview with ES Magazine. “It’s our time as men to be on the receiving end of the stick,” he said of objectification, following up that when he was growing up, he found men were “very predatory” towards him.

    But as any man who dared weigh in on the #notallmen or #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou debates quickly discovered, defending men or putting forward their own grievances is a minefield – a fast track to a serious social media berating.

     Of course, poor Kit Harington hasn’t said that sexism against men and women is equal. He’s simply stated that sexism against men exists (and rather appropriately, the Twitter conversation soon changed from his comments on objectification to the fact he’s shaved his beard off).

    So why did I cringe?

    Because in truth men do feel like they’re not allowed to speak about certain issues. Partly it’s the fear of rebuttal and being labelled as ignorant, benevolent and unknowing sexists ourselves. Mostly though, I think, it’s because we know deep down that any discrimination we experience is significantly outweighed by what women face.

     Does that mean sexism is just a women’s issue though?

    I say it’s an issue for us all. There needs to be a forum for everyone to talk, without the fear of being shut down. That only furthers the tension between men and women on issues of feminism, sexism, and gender equality.

    Harington has done a positive and constructive thing in opening up and – at the very least – starting a conversation.

    After all, we hunks should be allowed to speak up, too.

    Source Tom Fordy

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