Writer Roxane Gay shares powerful post about 'unattractive' women and harassment
Roxane Gay has condemned the assumption that only conventionally attractive women are sexually assaulted after an actress insinuated that harassment mostly happens to beautiful women.
In a New York Times article titled “Being a Feminist in Harvey Weinstein’s World”, Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik suggests less attractive women are “overlooked” by sexual abusers.
“Those of us in Hollywood who don’t represent an impossible standard of beauty have the “luxury” of being overlooked and, in many cases, ignored by men in power unless we can make them money,” she wrote.
Bialik added that “the upside of not being a ‘perfect ten’” was “having almost no personal experience with men asking me to meetings in their hotel rooms.”
But her comments were slammed on Twitter by writer and professor Roxane Gay, who wrote that “unattractive women” are not “immune” to sexual assault.
In a thread that has been "liked" more than 3,000 times, Gay dismantles Bialik’s views.
People love to believe that fat women or unattractive women avoid harassment or assault. I bought into that too. When I as a child.
— roxane gay (@rgay) October 14, 2017
We’re not immune from assault. We aren’t believed. “Who would harass you?” And that makes us bigger targets.
— roxane gay (@rgay) October 14, 2017
My home is carpeted with the tongues of men who expected me to grateful for their harassment.
— roxane gay (@rgay) October 14, 2017
The one common thing I’ve found that cuts down on but does not end harassment is AGE and thank god for that.
— roxane gay (@rgay) October 14, 2017
Gay then summarised the issue.
Long story short, if you haven’t been harassed and think it’s because of your looks, it isn’t. You’re just very lucky.
— roxane gay (@rgay) October 14, 2017
The posts come as thousands of men and women took to Twitter using the "#MeToo" hashtag to share their stories of sexual assault.