Recognising sexual harassment – That’s Harassment: A film series

Robyn Bell #MeToo, consent, Film, Films, harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, Sexual Consent, sexual harassment, sexual violence, ThatsHarassment, workplace

Introducing Sigal Avin’s film series, That’s Harassment, about recognising different examples of sexual harassment

Sexual harassment can sometimes feel tricky to identify. We often have this idea that there’s a clear, solid line dividing sexual violence and wanted sexual interactions. But real life human interaction is more complicated than that, especially when we add in power imbalances (for example employer/employee) and when inappropriate behaviour is normalised. #MeToo highlighted just how common and normalised sexual harassment is in the film and TV industries. This is where Sigal Avin and her film series comes in. These 6 short videos show realistic scenes, which could be considered as ‘grey areas’. But being in this in-between area doesn’t make it any less violent or unwanted. In fact, it can be harder to call out. The series spotlights that it is still harassment. Hence the title: That’s Harassment. Some of them are based on personal experiences. Sigal Avin discusses that here with executive producers David Schwimmer and Mazdack Rassi.

There’s lots of support available if you’ve experienced sexual harassment, please don’t manage this alone. Jump straight to our Getting support section below.

1. The Coworker

The first film takes a look at sexual harassment from a colleague:

2. The Actor

This film shows sexual harassment from a client. There’s often a power imbalance between those servicing and those being serviced. We’re told that “the customer is always right” and a significant part of the job can be pandering to their needs. This film shows an even steeper power imbalance, where the client is a celebrity:

3. The Boss

This third film shows the power imbalance between an employer and employee. It can feel very complicated when it’s your boss who is making you feel intimidated and uncomfortable:

4. The Doctor

We assume that, if you’re the customer or patient, the professional is trustworthy and knows what they’re doing. In fact, they can hold a lot of power in this interaction and this can make it feel tricky to recognise:

5. The Photographer

The fifth video shows how particularly difficult it can be to speak out in a workplace that normalises sexual harassment:

6. The Politician

This last film shows a work situation, between two professionals, but where that power imbalance can make it especially tricky when one person is well-known or a celebrity:

Getting support

If you have experienced or are experiencing sexual harassment, there is support for you. Please don’t manage this alone. There are lots of organisations that want to help, and are specialised in providing support specifically for this. It doesn’t matter if you’re experiencing it at work, in school or somewhere else.

This film series shows examples in a specific, gendered way: men harassing women. This is because statistics show this is how sexual harassment usually happens, but of course it isn’t always like this. People of any gender can experience sexual harassment, including men and boys, and there is support for them too.