Gretchen Carlson, former Miss America, and Fox news star come forward to talk about her experience with sexual harassment and how as a woman she was demeaned. Reading the article, Gretchen Carlson Next fight by Belinda Luscombe brought many issues to the table including sexual harassment in the workplace, over-sexualization of simple tasks and how degrading men are to women.
Carlson tells the story of how she was sexually harassed on one of the first days of work by a cameraman. The man had attached the mic to Gretchen before broadcasting a show and afterward approached her and had the audacity to ask if she liked him attaching that mic under her shirt. “I touched your breasts”, he gladly noted. A simple task like attaching a mic was taking so out of proportion to the point of that cameraman losing his job.
On many episodes of Fox and Friends, in which she hosted, along with her sexist co-hosts who thought it appropriate to make uncomfortable comments on Carlson's appearance and wardrobe.
“I am saddened by the prevalence of powerful men disrespecting and objectifying women- and getting away with it for years. I am particularly distressed when people in the public eye who influence our culture perpetuate sexism.”-Gretchen Carlson says regarding Trump
This statement is powerful because it not only focuses on the inappropriate humor of Donald Trump but sheds a much broader picture of today's media, gossip, and cause of/to many cases involving sexual harassment and rape
Carlson is a powerful figure in today's society with a large platform to do whatever she wishes and by all means, she takes advantage of this wonderful privilege. May it be noted that because she is a woman, this platform is not taken as seriously as it should due to her impressive knowledge and status. For example; in interviews, she has done (with men) involving politics or topics like it, she is looked down on because of her appearance. Those she has interviewed question her intelligence to the level where it is quite degrading.
In an interview I watched, Carlson states she was not allowed to wear pants. I believe this is because pants are regarded to be a manly garment and on a woman, ‘it would give them the equivalent power/status. Which the powerful woman image is not the ideal image Fox would like to show.
Carlson is a committed feminist and due to her appearance (dresses, makeup, feminine things) something this is hard to believe but because of how she pushes forward on the issue of sexual harassment it is very evident.
“I’ve been for women empowerment my entire life”
To conclude, I will say again that Carlson is a powerful woman and what she has chosen to do about this distressful situation is remarkable. Coming forward is always the hardest part. She and other women do not deserve to be treated in an over sexual way without proper consent, which is not given.
I would like to address another issue that somewhat has to do with the top of feminism, the transgender “issue”. As a woman, to identify as my given/chosen gender I wear clothes that suit me and make it known in some aspect that I am female. I also stand for female rights but this does not constrict the clothes I wear, nor the clothes of another feminist, who are not extremist. A transgender woman (man to woman), dresses to fit their pronoun(she, her, etc..) and vice verse for a transgender man. Concerning the bathroom situation, if a transgender woman comes into the men's room wearing a dress, makeup, and heels, I believe she will in a strongly opinionated straight man's words, “get the living shit kicked out of him”. In this day and age, we must recognize not everyone is “traditional” and even if one does not agree with others decisions, it should be respected. This is limited to those pretending a gender for pedophilic notions but this is not a necessary approach because in this situation it is evident. Besides that issue, this is to say that using the restroom behind a closed door regardless of gender shouldn't be so strange. In conclusion, transgender people dress to fit the gender they identify as, not to offend.
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