BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE, EDITOR
Vulnerable. Fearful. Anxious. Embarrassed. Confused. Enraged.
Just another day at work?
I don’t think so.
This open letter is difficult for me to write, because my priority is to support our artistic community. So when I learn about distressing behaviour within this community, it isn’t just hard for me on a professional level. It hurts – on a personal level.
I’m not going to name and shame. But I believe opening a dialogue about this issue is the only way to move forward. So here it is: I am sick of the mistreatment of female artists in our industry.
I’m sick of learning about all the times women have felt physically intimidated on the job. I’m sick of hearing about the shock and repulsion that comes from an unwanted touch; the anger that comes in response to a wolf-whistle or sexual comment in a professional environment. I’m sick of being told about people in power who do nothing to help those who express fear. I’m sick of those who try to shut down the women brave enough to speak out.
Recently, I was bullied by a female publicist for refusing to run a story on a company that was mistreating its young artists so poorly that it became a formalised legal issue. Several musicians had started pulling out. One of the female artists revealed to me that she’d experienced an extreme incident of sexual harassment alongside other female colleagues – some old, and some very young.
This was at work, in an environment that was supposed to be safe and nurturing for young performers.
In another instance, my female friend – a composer – had formally complained about sexual harassment at a concert. For weeks, she was left ruminating and doubting herself. Was it okay, what had happened? The way he touched her? Was she overreacting? When she finally gained the courage to make the complaint, she was shut down through words to the effect of: He was just having a bit of fun.
As for me, it took five years of working in a studio with a director who commented on my body and asked me about my sexual activity before I even realised this sort of behaviour from one colleague to another wasn’t normal. It was my first job in the arts: I’d doubted my own gut feeling for so long because, as a young broadcaster, no one had ever taught me that when your boss talks to you like that, it just isn’t right. It isn’t legal.
In any other industry – for instance, one with a structured office environment or government workplace – this sort of behaviour may have been reported with more systemic ease; to superiors, HR staff, or other in-house authorities. To me, this indicates issues within the arts and music industry that prevent young people, especially women, from knowing how to identify and feel confident about their boundaries, and knowing what behaviour is unprofessional (or illegal). After all, when 60 per cent of arts workers are experiencing discrimination and harassment, we know something is seriously wrong.
The music industry can be harsh when it comes to providing opportunities for emerging performance artists. These young people – men and women alike – are often desperate for a big career break that could lead to stable work. They don’t, however, volunteer to be mistreated. They aren’t signing up to an experience that will crush their spirit. They shouldn’t be gaslighted into self-doubt and secrecy, or made to feel that speaking out will tarnish their reputations.
They aren’t signing up to an experience that will crush their spirit. They shouldn’t be gaslighted into self-doubt and secrecy, or made to feel that speaking out will tarnish their reputations
I firmly believe it is important for established artists and production companies to provide a supportive environment for young musicians.
Our earliest career experiences help to build our expectations and understandings of the way this industry operates. In turn, we learn to perceive the industry in a certain light, and we evolve to respond by instinct – whether the instinct is trust, cynicism, gullibility, or another. Therefore, those first experiences should set up artists with a clear path to success, providing them with confidence so they can look forward to the next job – not hesitate and worry about whether or not the director will abuse them or their co-performer will harass them.
It is unacceptable for institutions and individuals alike to perpetuate bad behaviours and abuse of power. This is achieved not only through committing inappropriate actions, but by refusing to acknowledge them. Refusing to put in the work to prevent them.
I understand that, often, this may be out of fear – fear for losing a job, fear of being overtaken, fear of having authority challenged. There are plenty of fears faced by those at all levels in the arts and these certainly shouldn’t be taken for granted. They should be addressed, too.
But the fear a young singer can feel at work when she’s touched inappropriately by an older man; the fear a young broadcaster can feel when her boss asks her if she’s on birth control; the fear a young woman feels when she sees these issues happening in the world immediately around her…it’s not okay.
This open letter is a call for change.
If you are in a position where you have the advantage – and, yes, it is an advantage – to work with inspired and talented young artists, then help them.
If you are leading, teaching, performing, or in any other way interacting with women in our industry – with anyone in our industry – treat them with respect.
Think twice about the words you choose or the attitudes you adopt. We are all human. Humans are fragile, so I beg you without shame: Support one another.
What’s this story worth to you?
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For mental health support, contact your GP or headspace.
This story was picked up for publication in ArtsHub, and Stephanie was also approached for a follow-up interview in Music Australia.
Image credit Will Fisher, CC-BY-SA-2.0. Pay what you like securely through PayPal. We protect your personal information.
