Sexual harassment in the creative industry - Part 1
Read in Indonesian
Ever since Nipplets (@nipplets_official) founder Ida Swasti launched Gthingsst (@gthingsst), a page dedicated for sexual wellness, she constantly found her inbox filled with unsolicited pictures of genitals from random men. Ida is not alone. Catherine, who is handling marketing at Nipplets, also becomes the target of the exhibitionist practice.
As if it isn’t bad enough, Gthingsst’s Instagram followers often receive similar unsolicited pictures from random men too. It somehow turns into a chain of messages going after Gthingsst followers. The perpetrators use burner account, which makes it difficult to track.
Last month, TFR conducted a survey titled ‘Sexual Harassment in the Creative Industry.’ The survey garnered 204 responses. While the title says harassment, some of the responses detailing the unpleasant incidents were straight up sexual assault.
What is the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault? Both sexual harassment and assault are categorised under sexual violence. They have overlapped definitions and have been used interchangeably in conversation, but there is a distinction between the two terms.
Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual advances consisting of attention, sexually explicit comments and sexual favours. Cat-calling, whistling and gazing are unwanted attention with sexual tone. Comments like “Nice boobs,” “I wish I could sleep with you,” and “I fantasise about you” are inappropriate and sexually explicit.
One respondent wrote, “One time I was walking to my class and there was a group of guys (probably students at my university too) shouted, ‘Hey, pretty girl why are you rushing, my friend here wanted to talk’ and [they] started laughing.”
She continued, “Also one day, my art history lecturer was talking about a woman statue from the Ancient Greece era. He said in front of the class that I have a good body, shaped like those woman statues and considered as sexy in that era. It made me uncomfortable because I never asked for his comment and never gave him the consent to use my body as an example to the whole class.”
In the online space, distributing pictures of genitals without the recipient's consent can be categorised as sexual harassment. Leaving inappropriate comments with sexual tone, whether it’s meant as a compliment or not, is also intrusive. Spreading sex tape without consent is sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation falls under sexual assault.
Sexual assault is unwanted actions consisting of threats, groping, forced kiss or oral sex and rape. Threats in this context can overlap between harassment and assault. For instance, when the perpetrator requested sexual favour in exchange for career advancement or when the sexual favour turns into blackmail.
One respondent said, “A client will subtly say that we have the job if I sit next to him, or more, while entertaining them at dinner or drinks.”
Sexual harassment and assault are covered in the Criminal Code (KUHP), Pornography Law (UU Pornografi) and Electronics and Information Law (UU ITE). The distinction of both offences is articulated in the Sexual Violence Bill (RUU PKS).
The common feature of both sexual harassment and sexual assault is the word unwanted. Both are intrusive acts that could harm and traumatise the victims. Based on the responses we received, many of the harassers happened to be people the victims know. A lot of the cases happened at work and in schools.
A respondent who works in the film industry shared her unpleasant experience on a film set. “I was one of the main casts in a sinetron. At some point towards the end of the project, there was a new assistant director. What he did: making unwanted remarks about my body while gazing at it, trying several times to enter the fitting room when I was changing, touching and squeezing my thighs, calves, arms, sometimes butt, inappropriately.”
According to the respondent, the incidents happened in front of other crew members. “No one bat an eye. It was my first sinetron, so I thought everyone goes through this.”
The fact that society tends to normalise and water down the effect of inappropriate sexual comments and advances is alarming. Responses like “Maybe you are too sensitive,” or “You shouldn’t be offended by everything,” are thrown nonchalantly.
77% of the 204 respondents said they never reported the case to anyone. A respondent wrote, “Reporting would not solve this.” Another respondent wrote, “I never reported it because from what I've seen, when a woman reported it, they won’t take it seriously or even blame the woman on how they dress and many more.”
Some of the respondents who reported the case received answers that disregard the victims’ unpleasant experience. “You have to be more careful, there are many perverts out there,” “Of course they harassed you, you have a pretty face,” “Why are you even on a dating app, Tinder is full of f*ck boys.”
While the sentence ‘you have to be more careful, there are many perverts out there’ might sound fine, it can also suggest that the victims are the ones who caused the harassment because they were not being careful or aware enough of their surroundings. It usually translates to the clothes they wear were not modest enough or they were walking at night.
In January 2018, an exhibition in Brussels titled ‘What Were You Wearing?’ showcased clothes worn by victims of sexual violence when the incidents took place. The Independent wrote, “Featuring items such as pyjamas, tracksuits, even a child’s My Little Pony shirt, the exhibit shows clothing as innocent as the victims themselves.”
Multiple mass media in Indonesia have conducted similar research. A research from Detik in 2019 showed that choice of clothing doesn’t prevent anyone from getting sexually harassed. 4,601 victims were wearing school uniform.
Male victims receive the same response. One respondent wrote he received inappropriate sexual comments from women. “Wow.. Nice body, must be huge down there.” He was mortified, but his friends’ reaction was even more appalling. “They laughed. They thought it was a joke.”
Men are expected to fight back since society tends to perceive masculinity as the ability to fight back and weather challenges despite drawbacks. This is evident in the Gilang ‘bandage mummified’ (Gilang jarik) case.
Despite numerous claims that Gilang’s victims were drugged and raped, there were comments asking why the men couldn’t fight back. Many believe that if the victims don’t ask for help, it means they enjoy the nonconsensual sexual activity.
Reactions to sexual harassment may vary. Some victims could yell or fight back, but many found themselves in the state of shock, unable to compose themselves or utter a single word regardless of the sex or gender. Men could freeze, women could fight back, and vice versa.
“When I first received a dick pic from a random stranger, I was shocked and disgusted. When it became a frequent harassment, I gathered my courage to fight back and confront them,” said Ida. According to her, while some might find receiving explicit pictures of genitals disgusting rather than harmful, others could find the experience traumatising.
In an industry where fresh and original ideas are the main force, psychological impacts from sexual harassment could severely affect performance at work. Although the data suggests that women are sexually harassed more frequently than men, women and men are vulnerable. Anyone, no matter how careful they are, can fall victim to sexual harassment.
