For the past week, there has been talk all over the comics blogosphere about the subject of sexual harassment, and it’s prevalence in the comics industry. If you haven’t heard the news, a female who is involved in the industry, has pressed charges against another male, for sexual harassment. For a better detailing of this story you can hop over to Ronee Garcia Bourgeois’ column What a Girl Wants for a more detailed account.
Since then, discussions on the matter have been popping up all over the internet. Over at When Fangirls Attack, they provide a comprehensive list of links to the different creators and fans who have spoken out about this topic. Being a female, a fan of comics, and now a columnist, it just seems right that I would write about my thoughts on such a matter.
The only problem is, I really don’t have much to add on the subject. I think that Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat explained most of my thoughts better then I could have ever. I agree with most of what she had to say on the thoughts of women, comics and society.
Sexual harassment is a horrible thing and no one, male or female, should have to go through something like that. It isn’t a topic that should be taken lightly, and I hate that it goes on in the industry that I love. But in the same manner, it happens in every industry. Where ever you go, no matter where you work, you are always going to find the same things that happen in the world. There are going to be cliques, there is going to be gossip, and horrible things such as harassment are going to happen.
That isn’t meant to lessen the tragedies that have happened to any of these women. It is sickening to think that people in an industry would think less of a person because they came forward with news of sexual harassment. The idea that female creators have felt that they can’t come forward because they would be blacklisted seems ludicrous to me. But at the same time, I can see it happening. It’s amazing how society has a tendency to blame the victim in certain cases, and embrace them in others. It is so hard to gauge how a body of people are going to react to any given number of situations. I’m sure right now there are people reading this disagreeing with my point of view. And that’s fine. I’m still trying to figure out my point of view when it comes to these topics.
We can all agree that sexual harassment is bad. No one deserves to be treated in a way that they feel uncomfortable, but everyone has their own threshold of tolerance. I’ve seen girls at conventions get hit on by scuzzy comic book creators who just want to get in their pants, and then spread rumors about them the next day. I’ve also seen these same situations happen in high school, college and every day life. The comic book world is just a small reflection of society as a whole. It just happens that we are densely populated by more males then females. In that population you are going to have the winners and the losers.
As I spoke of before, each person has their own threshold of tolerance. Some girls enjoy being hit on, some girls even enjoy being exploited, it’s the way of the world. How do you explain a girl who dresses up in a skimpy costume at a convention. She knows exactly what she is doing when she puts on that thong in the morning before the show. Does she deserve to be harassed. No. But is she going to be stared at inappropriately, yes. Does she deserve that. I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that. She doesn’t deserve to be man handled in anyway, nor stalked, but at the same time, she can’t really complain if a guy is staring at her chest if most of it is hanging out there for the world to see. I don’t know what the mindset is, of a person who dresses up like that. Nor do I know how that reflects upon other females who are there.
Everyone is their own person, and each person wants to be viewed differently. There are some female creators who embrace the fact that they are a female in the industry and use it to their advantage. There are other females in the industry who do not want to be looked upon as a female, but as a creator. They don’t want to draw attention to the gender difference in their work, but want to be viewed as an equal creator. This is where I personally am torn.
I can understand both sides of this theory. Why do you have to make a big deal out of the fact that you are a female creator. Wouldn’t it be nice if the comic book industry was split 50/50, guys and girls, working in harmony. I can see why a female would want to be known by their body of work, and not as a side show attraction just because they happen to have a different chromosome.
But at the same time, I think being in an industry where you are a limited number, you should embrace that fact that you are a female, and that you love comics. Use it to your advantage, to bring other females into the industry. I am a chick, and I’d love to see other chicks reading comics, just like I’d love to see other guys reading comics. Hell, I’d just love to see everyone reading comics. But it does warm my heart every time I go to a convention and see more and more females sitting behind those tables. Sometimes it’s nice to feel like you aren’t the only girl in the room.
I’m not really sure where I’m going with all of this. My column is titled Fangirl Ramblings, so it is obvious that I am embracing the female part. Why am I doing that? Why not just be known as a columnist, instead of a female columnist. Simple fact, I’m a girl in a male dominated hobby. I want to show that girls read comics too, and from there, you are going to get a female perspective on comics. The things that I’ve found most annoying in my comic book experiences are people assuming that since I’m a girl, I know nothing about comics. I’ve been to conventions where dealers have pointed me to their beanie babies. I’ve been asked who dragged me to the show. And I’ve been pointed to the sections with the “chick” books.
That’s what I take offense to. Lude gestures, rude comments, and being ogled, these are experiences that happen to females every day. Some people mind, others don’t. It’s all a personal acceptance level on what you want to deal with. It is a topic that could be argued and talked about till the cows come home, and I don’t think it’s going to be solved in any way. There are days where I get a small giggle when someone whistles at me, and there are other days where I don’t want to be bothered by it. No one is going to be satisfied. That’s what makes the world unique, all the different personalities that make the world go round.
I feel as if now, with my closing paragraph, I am supposed to say something poetic or inspiring. End with one of those closers that sums up the whole column and packs a wallop. Except, I don’t. These are thoughts and ideas that have been swirling in my head the past week and they needed to be put to paper. My thoughts and opinions or my own, and chances are, they might change. I don’t write any of this to create controversy or to garner attention on the sexual harassment bandwagon. I just wanted to speak my piece, get some of my thoughts out, and try to flesh out, in my own mind, where I stand.
