Sadly, sexist remarks directed towards women are typically seen as light-hearted or “compliments” and are commonplace in our society. But what would happen if women started cat calling at men? What if the comments that we women have had to endure were reversed? Would the effect be the same? Leah Green went undercover for The Guardian to find out and the resulting video truly says a lot about the issue of sexual harassment.
Leah puts men in an array of situations that women find themselves in when they experience sexism. The scenarios were based on real-life reports by women to @EverydaySexism. I took a look at the @EverydaySexism Twitter page and found a few tweets that were tackled in the video.
In the video, Leah visits a hardware store and asks the man behind the counter if there was a woman who could help her because a woman “might know a bit more, no offense.” Now I don’t condone belittling people, but I do think it’s important people take notice of this issue. When Leah says this to the man he clearly gets upset and by his reaction, he seems shocked that she would even say such a thing. This moment that seems un-thinkable for a man to experience, happens to women all over the world on the daily and it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with.
Having someone stare at you in an objectifying way can be extremely violating. Leah shows a man smoking a cigarette on the street exactly what this feels like when she won’t lift her eyes off of him. This clip re-occurs throughout the video and each time the man appears to be noticeably more uncomfortable. Most women are familiar with this and would have made a comment or simply walked away because they didn’t want to deal with a creep staring at them. This man however, had probably never been in this position before and stood awkwardly smoking his cigarette without knowing what to do in that situation.
You know what really sucks? This guy was probably just trying to relax and have a smoke before going back to work and Leah ruined it for him. She took that moment that was his, and made him feel creeped out and uncomfortable. The tweets to @EverydaySexism document these moments that get ruined when someone makes sexist remarks. The everyday experiences like going on a run, walking to work or even leaving the house become tainted and leave the victim feeling enraged, confused and violated.
This video received a lot of backlash because people argued that sexism and harassment were never okay, even to illustrate a point. I on the other hand, thought this video was awesome. I have been in similar situations and it was very interesting to see how the men reacted when the shoe was on the other foot. Some felt uncomfortable, others literally thought she was insane because they had never been victims of sexist remarks before.
While I understand the critics objections, I think that this video is crucial to get the point across that sexism is not okay. Maybe if more men felt what it was like on the other side, they wouldn’t make sexist remarks. I don’t objectify men and maybe it’s because I know how it feels and I would never intentionally make someone feel like that. What do you all think about this video?
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
This is a great idea! I understand that people may feel like we should not do the same to men just because they do it to women, but come on people, this is to prove a point. It is not like she continued to do it every day and made it a mission to ruin the day of every male she saw. It was to bring light to an issue and the situations these few men were put in do not compare to what all women are put through on a day to day basis. This was an awesome post! Thanks for sharing!
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Exactly! That’s how I felt about it too. Especially because most men don’t have to experience this in their lives, I think that they can handle it just once to make a point. Glad you liked it!!
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I wish we knew the original tweeter’s response. I have been fortunate to not have to put up with much sexism–I grew up in the West where it is significantly less prevalent than other parts of the country, I grew up in a family and cultural group that judged people on their own merits, and I’ve held jobs that have mostly had no gendered associations. So I’ve often wondered how I would respond to something so overt. I often imagine clever responses…but I think, like all things in life, you just can never imagine the kind of kooky thing someone will actually say.
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That’s interesting about your perspective about the West having less sexism. I’d love to explore that idea more! Also, as someone who imagines clever responses…and then always just gets flustered and angry and forgets them…you totally got that right! I’ve honestly been so shocked by a comment that I literally couldn’t think of anything to say back, I was too mind blown! Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it!
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