Unfortunately, even in 2019, there is still a tonne of derogatory bullshit flying around, but the more we stand up to that shitty behaviour publically, the more people will get a clue and start working on just, y’know, being better.
And what’s more public than a bunch of high-profile people absolutely shutting down sexist behaviour while being filmed? Nothing. That’s as public as it can get.
That’s not to say that just because you’re not being filmed, you shouldn’t say or do something if a sexist comment is made right in front of you. The more we say something, speak up and show people why their view/comment/behaviour is out of wack, the closer we get to a culture that doesn’t accept disrespect towards women.
But for now, take a look at some people shutting down wildly inappropriate bullplop.
1. TOM HARDY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=ZkH6Rgx8wek
Tom Hardy‘s a no-guff kinda dude and I’m all about it. It shouldn’t have to always be up to women to call out bad behaviour – everyone can do it.
When a reporter asks why there are so many women in the movie he was promoting at the time (Mad Max: Fury Road, a banger of a flick), Tom – just Tom, we’re on a first name basis now – takes no prisoners.
I just…I don’t really understand how the reporter ever thought that was a solid question to ask? Make better decisions, anonymous guy.
2. MICHAEL ROWLAND
Look familiar? And I bet Ted didn’t cop the filth #taylaharris has been subjected to. We have a long way to go in Australia. @taylaharriss @AFL @aflwomens @BreakfastNews pic.twitter.com/D9X2pMv9h1
— Michael Rowland (@mjrowland68) March 19, 2019
Listen, the reaction from a few foul people to that iconic Tayla Harris snap was ridiculous, wildly disappointing and you betcha – disrespectful as hell.
Thankfully, the outpour of support that followed completely eclipsed the fucked-up thoughts of a select few. While reporter Michael Rowland (above) sums it up perfectly, legends like former Western Bulldogs player Bob Murphy also threw their weight behind the AFLW player.
3. BILLIE JEAN KING
(2/2) When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” & and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018
After that debacle surrounding tennis superstar Serena Williams and Carlos Ramos, sexism and misogyny erupted across all social media platforms.
Thankfully, countless people like Billie Jean King lept to Serena’s defence and made some extremely valid points while they were at it.
https://twitter.com/thisgreyspirit/status/1116518544961830918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1116518544961830918%7Ctwgr%5E393039363b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fblack-hole-katie-bouman-andrew-chael-sexist-trolls_n_5cb08f0de4b098b9a2d2bb5d
Hopefully, everyone’s aware of the major breakthrough they had over in the ol’ science world, where they managed to snap the first proper photo of a black hole. It was a huge deal.
It’s a shame then that assholes on the internet tried to ruin such a momentous moment by letting their sexist views take the lead.
When those same people discovered that the primary developer of the photo was in fact a guy, they attempted to discredit and shame the female scientist – Katie Bouman, who featured in the now-viral photo – simply because they didn’t think she was worthy of taking credit as she wasn’t the ‘primary’ developer. This is all despite the fact that she played a massive role in making the photo possible.
The primary developer, Andrew Chael, then took to Twitter to destroy ’em all.
5. SEADOG CAFE
In more recent news, the legends over at Seadog Cafe in Burleigh have turned a vile comment on Instagram into a $751 donation for Support The Girls. If you were curious, the comment was a jab at women for not keeping their legs closed and that somehow, getting pregnant was solely their fault. You can check it out it Seadog Cafe’s Insta feed if you wanna get bummed out.
Owner Brodie Green also offered free coffee to any “queen” that went to his cafe the same weekend the sexist crap went down. This is the kinda stuff we like to see.
The fact of the matter is that the more we stand up against disrespect towards women, the more it will become known that it doesn’t belong at all.
Hit up Our Watch’s Doing Nothing Does Harm campaign to get some more pointers on how to deal with people who say sexist or inappropriate shit to women.
