Sepulveda 1

Sarai Sepulveda

Professor McCann

English 1302.203

13 April 2022

First Draft-Title Goes Here

Over 16 years ago, Tarana Burke ignited the flame that would warmly embrace women

everywhere and simultaneously burn those who have misused their power and caused great harm

to a female. It became the type of hug that does not let go and it also became the type of burn

that leaves a nasty scar; the kind that gives rise to uncomfortably, secretive murmurs and

disparaging side glances. One might assume that the flame only touches the assaulters, but the

flame is uncontrollable and consequently brands the victims as well. This flame, the MeToo

movement, has swept the world in continuous waves with every new story that breaks loose: a

swimmer is told she will never make it because she is a woman, a teacher who is robbed of a

promotion because she is a woman, a chef who is taken advantage of because she is a woman or

an actress who is mistreated because she is a woman. The list is endless and every new addition

only crushes the hope of those who believe that there is a future in which the woman does not

need to fear attending her workplace because she is a woman. The uprising of the MeToo

movement has called on the film industry to address its internal misogyny because of the sexist

backlash that keeps women from speaking up, persistency of sexual assault toward women,

refusal of respectable roles, and lack of exposure to female success.

Subheading 1

If the MeToo movement has taught society anything, it is that with every feminist push

forward there will always be a sexist pullback that can be seen in the backlash females within the
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film industry often experience. These twisted counter attacks are what make reaching gender

equality all the more difficult, for it does not matter if it is an individual or a whole organization,

there will always be someone who misconstrues one’s honest intentions. The MeToo campaign

is set to express feelings of understanding and acceptance as more individuals would come out

and speak about their experiences as victims of sexual assault, creating an environment around

the film industry that noticeably put everyone on edge. In India, while the MeToo movement was

still gaining momentum and had not yet reached its peak, young actress Sri Reddy took no shame

in publicly exposing the misogynistic actions of the Indian film industry:

Besides the denial of her membership in the MAA, which was the immediate reason for

her protest that day—it is alleged that her public remarks against sexist practices in the

industry were the reason for this denial—Reddy spoke frankly and fearlessly about

widespread sexual harassment and the common practice of the “casting couch” in the

TFI, where aspiring actresses are compelled to offer sexual services in exchange for roles

(Lakkimsetti 303-304).

The Movie Artists Association is composed of Telugu artists, actors, and actresses and as a

Telugu actress herself, Reddy saw no issue in trying to become part of the organization, but the

MAA did. The MAA proved to Reddy and all other individuals that are trying to fight the sexual

discrimination within the film industry that if they were to publicly criticize them, they are

guaranteed to not receive a spot within the organization. Thus attributing free speech to the

consequences of a ruined business reputation. This whole idea that one cannot succeed without

one pulling them down is also evident in one of Simona Sharoni’s experiences which highlights

what it is like to speak out against misogyny at a time when the MeToo movement is at full blast.
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Sharoni writes, “The aggressive public response I received when my complaint was

characterized as an overreaction was a clear manifestation of the current anti-feminist backlash,”

explaining that despite the fact that she followed the adequate procedures in a discriminatory and

humiliating situation, there were still people who refused to face the truth and attack her instead

(147). The film industry should take advantage of this issue that the MeToo movement has

brought to light in order to suppress it once and for all.

Subheading 2

What initially triggered the MeToo movement was the atrocious act of sexual assault that

many women have had to, unfortunately, experience for various years for it has become an issue

within the film industry that continues to be persistent. Sexual assault plagues women in ways

one cannot imagine and the numbers that demonstrate just how big of a problem it only reflects a

singular industry in the whole world. To illustrate, in a study conducted on gender inequalities, it

was found that 33% of women who have been sexually harassed in the United States were

burdened with feelings of anxiety or depression. Another statistic focuses on the film industry as

it demonstrates that around 1.60% or 800 sexual harassment charges were filed in the arts,

entertainment, and recreating industry solely in 2018 (Deggans 45-46). Deggans, the author of

this study, realizes that this issue is not as superficial as one might think and that it actually all

roots back to the preconceived notions of male dominance. “Matters of contention regarding the

prevalent structure of sexism are hampered by conformist social frameworks that endorse and

regulate male supremacy,” writes Deggans, supporting the idea that with all the commotion the

MeToo movement has caused, it becomes obvious where such acts of sexual assault may

originate from (44). In addition, the patriarchal hold that the film industry finds itself in is not

something that is new but rather has been around for ages and not only in the United States.
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“Fourth, if there is a blind spot in Bazin’s film reviews, it is one that he shares with all the male

critics of his generation: he fails to Bazin as Film Critic 129 perceive what is new in the ‘noir’

dimension that he criticizes simply as an artificial and anachronistic extension of a pre-war style,

namely its exacerbated misogyny,” writes Sellier, as she uncovers the true meanings behind

French film critic André Bazin’s reviews in 1949 (128-129). Bazin was yet another neglectful

male who categorizes the blatant sexism of certain films as a type of “movie style”. This

ignorance is what allowed the growth of misogyny throughout the film industry and what

allowed it to branch out into different forms of crimes against women. The film industry should

put an end to all sexual assaults against women by speaking out on the acts that forever ruin their

lives.

Subheading 3

It is one thing to deny a woman a role in a film due to her gender and it is the exact same

thing when that role is one that disgustingly stereotypes and typecasts them into a disrespectful

role that undermines their abilities as actresses. More than ever, a woman in the film industry

will be cast into a role that fits the traits of a “typical” female, whether that be a stay-at-home

wife, an evil witch, or a damsel in distress. In the Nigerian film industry, this has been a problem

for a long time and continues to inhibit the potential of many female actresses within the

industry. Onyenankeya et al. state, “While Nollywood films tend to portray male characters as

evolving and keeping pace with social trends, the role portrayal of women appears stuck in the

past, invariably amplifying negative gender stereotypes,” once against representing the classic

superiority men hold over women even in the film industry (75). One might believe that this may

just be because that is the best role for the female being cast but the excessiveness in the number

of times it has occurred reveals that acting abilities are not what are making the calls, but the
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internal misogyny and sexism that still rules over the thoughts of many. In South Korea, this

issue is not only attributed to deeply rooted discrimination that is held against women but also

the political games that are more important than treating an entire gender with respect. When

reflecting on the different themes in South Korean films, Lee details the role women are used to

play, “One is the trauma of the Korean women sexually violated by the type of

American/Western man mostly encountered in the It’aewon area, the neighborhood of the largest

American army base in Seoul” (102). It is all watered down to the Korean man’s fear of the West

and how women are used to symbolize these fears as they are saved, taken, or beaten. The film

industry should realize that women are often denied proper roles because of their gender and

work to break these stereotypes.

Subheading 4

Anyone with the right peace of mind is more than aware of the achievements and feats

women have reached throughout their existence, however, sometimes it is not all too known due

to the film industry’s lack of exposure to the females' success that the MeToo movement has

resurfaced once again. The MeToo movement has played an important role in showing people

that females are extremely talented and deserve all the recognition they can get but are often

denied such due to the misogyny that controls the industry. For example, this is something that

the German film industry has realized, “While the rationalization and integration of film

production and aesthetics during the interwar period (and also beyond) institutionalized German

cinema as a patriarchal apparatus, female filmmakers, actors, and spectators continued to shape,

consume, and contest in ways that run parallel to, and indeed figure, the vicissitudes of feminism

across the twentieth century and into the present.” (Baer 214) Baer states that despite certain

moments of time when women were treated in a marginalized manner, one cannot ignore the fact
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that they have greatly contributed to the cinematic success of the German film industry. In

contrast, the Chinese film industry is no better than the majority of other industries as they too

lack the exposure of their females working in the film industry. Wang writes, “Women directors

who worked for mainstream socialist cinema are routinely perceived as nonfeminist and as

lacking in independence, and their films are reduced to a means to help promote socialist state

consolidation and nation-building,” explaining that they are reduced to a pawn in their nation’s

political games (592). The MeToo movement has shown the world both the good and the ugly

when it comes to the treatment of women in the film industry and as the leading power, the

industry should be the one to show the world that females are gifted.

Conclusion

To conclude, the film industry should address the misogyny within it due to the MeToo

movement which has shown the sexist backlash that keeps women from speaking up, persistency

of sexual assault toward women, refusal of respectable roles, and lack of exposure to female

success. While the MeToo movement did originate in the United States, its power allowed it to

go international and reach film industries all around the world to hopefully help the women

receive the equity and fair treatment they deserve. Women should not be left to rely on a social

movement in order to receive help but because of the state of the world, they are not offered the

utopian options of automatic fairness and no discrimination. As a society, individuals should try

their best to play a role in furthering gender equality, whether that be standing up for a female

one knows or simply fanning the flame.

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Works Cited

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Association of Teachers of German, Wiley], 2018, pp. 213–16,

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Deggans, Jerome. “Gendered Inequalities in the Workplace Revisited: Masculinist Dominance,

Institutionalized Sexism, and Assaultive Behavior in the #MeTo Era.” Contemporary

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