Welcome back to another article from your local feminist. Today, we’re going to be talking about unsolicited touching. Ready? Let’s go!
Although this article idea popped into my head a few days ago, it seems extremely relevant given Donald Trump’s recent comments about groping women. In case you’ve been fortunate enough to miss what happened, an interview from 2005 that Trump participated in with Billy Bush gained public attention about a week ago. In it, Donald Trump tells the explicit story of trying to have sex with a married woman, Nancy O’Dell, and failing.
“I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married,” he says. “You know I’m automatically attracted too beautiful, I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
Grab them by the pussy.”
Excuse me? “Grab them by the pussy?”
Our patriarchal society has placed such little value on women and inherently teaches men to view women as objects. (See here every single advertisement in the history of ever.) It teaches men that they have a right to women’s bodies. (I can make my own choices, thankyouverymuch.) Even worse, it teaches men that they have a right to touch women’s bodies whenever they please.
This touching has been getting a lot more media attention lately, which is a good thing. It’s terrible that it’s still plaguing the larger part of our world’s population (women), but people are being spurred to action to do something about it. Baby steps are better than no steps at all.
Women are beginning to call men out for their inappropriate and nonconsensual touching of their bodies, and I couldn’t be prouder. There are videos on the internet from street corners, busy sidewalks, and subway cars of women who confronted men about their actions, and that’s a wonderful thing. Below is a video that the news outlet Attn: posted on Facebook that presents figures and factual information about the growing epidemic of groping women in public places, as well as highlighting a few women who remained strong even in the face of aggressive men.
Unfortunately, if it weren’t for the select few who take the time and have the courage to speak out, we end up with stories of sexual harassment or unsolicited touching that are never told. They remain secrets. In an advertisement called #WhoWillYouHelp, instances of sexual misconduct, including groping or touching, are displayed as men stop to thank you, the viewer, for not telling anyone about the inappropriate behavior. For viewing, see below.
You can help stop this epidemic. It starts with one person. If you see someone even talking about inappropriately or nonconsensually touching a woman in any way, you need to stop it. Why? Because we didn't ask for it. Because we don't like it. Because there are more men like Donald Trump that think groping a woman or touching her inappropriately, even when it's nonconsensual, is okay.
Fun fact: it's not.
