Sexual Targets

Its pretty hard to discuss some issues honestly without being misunderstood.

One of these is the recent sexual harassment charges against some people in the movie industry and just in general.

We see cases where powerful men took advantage of their positions and imposed certain situations upon women who either worked for them or wanted to work for them.

Its certainly nothing that hasn't been going on for a long time but its become a hot button issue where you are either on the right side or you are condemned.

Take comments made by Mayim Bialik where she said she hadn't had that problem because of the way she dressed and acted and because she isn't your typical attractive starlet or star.

The reaction was instantaneous and vehement causing her to provide clarifications and deal with some public shaming.

Except of course most of us realize that what she said made perfect sense.

I never worked in Hollywood but it is pretty obvious in any particular environment that you have women and men for that matter who go out of their way to be attractive and appealing and others who dress and act more modestly.

Of course everyone has the right to dress how they see fit as long as it complies with any dress codes, but one group comes across as approachable and the other doesn't.

Does this impact sexual predators?  Common sense would tell you it does, although you hear talking heads argue that sexual abuse is about power, not sex.  Well I think it's more a combination.

I'm not talking about physical rape here, but it seems pretty obvious that appearance and behavior have an impact on what happens.  Attractive women generally are pretty good at dealing with powerless men who approach them.  They get enough practice.  Its men who are powerful that are hard to say no to.

In my job one of the women on a team I ran was young, attractive stylish and very outgoing.  It was pretty normal to see a small cluster of young men stopping by and chatting to the point where I had to talk to some of them about wasting time and talked to her about the same issue.  It helped but I suspect that when I wasn't there it still went on.

Now there was nothing inappropriate about her dress or behavior, and she was very pleasant and able to carry a conversation.  We had a fairly friendly relationship in a father-daughter sort of way and I did mention at one time that she needed to be a little careful.

Well eventually she took a job in another location and a few years later I heard she was involved in a sexual harassment case.  I have no doubt she was in fact harassed and I am not saying it was her fault in any way. 

I also wasn't very surprised.