Despite what you might like to believe, sexism is still a massive problem in modern society.
It’s nice to think that we solved sexism back in the 1980s along with homophobia and racism, but things don’t really work that way. Institutional systems of oppression have a habit of sticking around for the long run.
So when we heard that Game Of Thrones actor Kit Harington (aka Jon Snow) spoke up about sexism in the film industry, we were excited to see a man in a position of power using his high profile to affect a change for those who don’t carry his star power.
Would he speak up about how his female co-workers are routinely paid less than their male counterparts? Or how about the fact that 2014’s hack of hundreds of celebrities’ iCloud accounts primarily targeted women in an attempt to steal naked photos of them?
But instead, Harington took the time to speak up against what he perceives to be sexism against men.
The star apparently confused Hollywood’s over-sexualisation of its actors (which is a problem for both men and women in the industry but primarily affects women in the industry, as evidenced by the lack of prestigious roles for women over a certain age) for sexism, which would only affect one gender.
“I think there is a double standard,” he told The Sunday Times Magazine. “If you said to a girl, ‘Do you like being called a babe?’ and she said, ‘No, not really,’ she’d be absolutely right.
“I like to think of myself as more than a head of hair or a set of looks. It’s demeaning. Yes, in some ways you could argue I’ve been employed for a look I have. But there’s a sexism that happens towards men.
“There’s definitely a sexism in our industry that happens towards women, and there is towards men as well. At some points during photoshoots when I’m asked to strip down, I felt that.”
Unsurprisingly, the actor’s comments didn’t go down too well, particularly considering the fact that Harington is the star of a show in which women are regularly shown naked and sexualised, while any male nudity in the show is rarely played in the same way.
Oh Kit Harington, duuuuude. pic.twitter.com/nI0eZEGveK
— Vitt (@WitchWithWords) May 31, 2016
https://twitter.com/Wheeler/status/737353269874298880
"Game of Thrones star Kit Harington calls for sexism towards men in film to be acknowledged" HAS THE MAN WATCHED HIS OWN SHOW?
— chale's angel ✨ (@Susuana_Xx) May 30, 2016
