Hollywood and Misogyny: Harvey Weinstein Should Come As No Surprise
I binge-watched the show recently and thought it to be much of a comedy or exaggeration. It was fun. Then I got to the last season. You see, for all the no-holds-barred misogyny it displayed, the last few shows it tried to back-peddle and show that what I had viewed wasn't really misogyny at all. The endless quest for nightly pussy, treating women as faceless hook-ups season after season, and having the Ari Gold character regularly refer to his business associates as "cunts" are all supposed to be okay in the end.
Even when it seems like the men of Entourage will face the music for their behavior, they manage to avoid consequences. The lead character finally meets a woman he is really interested in and she rejects him because of his past misogynistic behavior. He goes and films all his old girlfriends and hook-ups testifying before the camera that they were never upset with the way he treated them. Therefore, it's all okay. It seems like Ari loses everything when tapes come out of how he treats his employees (to be fair he's an equal-opportunity offender, the language he uses around his gay assistant is just as heinous) and he has to pay the price. Sounds a lot like where Weinstein is now, doesn't it? However, at the end of the series, Ari is offered up to be the head of a mega-studio. It didn't really matter after all.
It's just a television show, right? Well, yes and no. At first that was what I thought too. When they started back-peddling, though, I started to dig. It's closer to the truth of the situation. Google it for yourself if you don't believe me. When I used to write reviews at Epinions, in one of my reviews for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series of DVDs, I called out the staff of that show for commentary where they admitted to choosing the female cast members for what they looked like in the uniforms. Back in the day, before there were reviews all over the place, someone was made aware of my comments and I got an anonymous email chiding me for my comments. Of course, as I woman, I could not be taken seriously by them.
Having been acquainted with the music industry, that really came as no surprise. It's hard as a female to get taken seriously in the music industry as well. And just ask Debra Lyall of Romeo Void what happens if you're not a "sex symbol." The record company actually told them they had no idea how to market the band because she wasn't considered "sexy". Ask the Wilson sisters of Heart how much pressure they faced to stay thin - a recurring theme among many women in the music industry.
Men have proudly displayed their misogyny in the entertainment industry for years with no consequence. Weinstein is just one of many. Now you're going to hear them complain that they are being forced to be "politically correct." It's all a symptom of the problems in this country with white men who want to remain in power without any consequences.
Even when it seems like the men of Entourage will face the music for their behavior, they manage to avoid consequences. The lead character finally meets a woman he is really interested in and she rejects him because of his past misogynistic behavior. He goes and films all his old girlfriends and hook-ups testifying before the camera that they were never upset with the way he treated them. Therefore, it's all okay. It seems like Ari loses everything when tapes come out of how he treats his employees (to be fair he's an equal-opportunity offender, the language he uses around his gay assistant is just as heinous) and he has to pay the price. Sounds a lot like where Weinstein is now, doesn't it? However, at the end of the series, Ari is offered up to be the head of a mega-studio. It didn't really matter after all.
It's just a television show, right? Well, yes and no. At first that was what I thought too. When they started back-peddling, though, I started to dig. It's closer to the truth of the situation. Google it for yourself if you don't believe me. When I used to write reviews at Epinions, in one of my reviews for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series of DVDs, I called out the staff of that show for commentary where they admitted to choosing the female cast members for what they looked like in the uniforms. Back in the day, before there were reviews all over the place, someone was made aware of my comments and I got an anonymous email chiding me for my comments. Of course, as I woman, I could not be taken seriously by them.
Having been acquainted with the music industry, that really came as no surprise. It's hard as a female to get taken seriously in the music industry as well. And just ask Debra Lyall of Romeo Void what happens if you're not a "sex symbol." The record company actually told them they had no idea how to market the band because she wasn't considered "sexy". Ask the Wilson sisters of Heart how much pressure they faced to stay thin - a recurring theme among many women in the music industry.
Men have proudly displayed their misogyny in the entertainment industry for years with no consequence. Weinstein is just one of many. Now you're going to hear them complain that they are being forced to be "politically correct." It's all a symptom of the problems in this country with white men who want to remain in power without any consequences.
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