There isn’t a single woman I know in the entertainment industry that hasn’t been propositioned by a man in a position of power. From the local sleazy bar owner who offers to get your band a gig if you give him a blow job to the “innocent” mistake of some moron assuming you are with the band and not THE band, the industry is riddled with misogynistic undertones. Always has been.
Weinstein is one of MANY! Every woman has had to contend with a Weinstein or ten. I’ve had my hand forcefully grabbed and placed on a record industry executive’s crotch while he stared at my lips and slobbered, “I bet you could do some damage with those.” This is only one of many stories.
But what has turned these perverted, insecure guys desperate to feel power into dangerous sexual predators is our obsession with celebrity. For decades men and women alike have looked the other way because celebrities are put on God-like pedestals. Everyone in Hollywood knew about him. No one said anything because it wasn’t in their best interest. I lived in LA for 4 years and was a D-list celebrity at best, and *I* knew, so I’m not buying the likes of Matt Damon saying he didn’t.
Our society’s obsession with ‘making it’ (and worse making it ‘whatever it takes’) is endemic throughout and is exacerbated through instant gratification sought on social media. I get it. We all want to feel appreciated, needed, important (there’s nothing wrong with that); we want to feel our talents will be seen and enjoyed, but the message to young women and men today is that success is defined not by how you get there… but simply by getting there (i. e., in the public eye). It is this mentality that the Kardashians, for example, thrive from. When people fear they are nothing without “likes” and/or fame, it makes the work of predators like Weinstein easy and not at all shocking that is was kept secret for decades.
Fame is so exalted that we ignore the real heroes in life and give scumbags like this too much power.
A working class hero is something to be.
Daphna Rowe is Founder & Perfumer at Lovorika London, a cruelty-free and gender-neutral fragrance house. With a Masters in Psychology, another in International Relations, a certification in Aromatherapy and a previous career as a singer-songwriter, her Parfums are as delicious and unique as her background.