I recently watched the new Nickelodeon documentary, “Quiet On Set,” just like what seems the rest of America has been doing.
In the first episode, two women writers spoke about their experience and how they were being treated. They were mocked, singled out, forced to split a salary while the men had individual salaries and asked to pitch their ideas bent over a table pretending to be sodomized.
The documentary, which is available on Max, formerly HBO Max, is a four episode mini series focusing on the child stars of Nickelodeon and the dangers they were exposed to on set. “Quiet On Set” clearly has multiple topics to focus on and discuss, but March is Women’s History Month, and I am a woman about to enter the workforce, the “man’s world.”
Hearing those women talk about how they were forced to split their salary, forced to stand in front of a group of men and be laughed at or being fired because “women aren’t funny” heavily upset me.
An important aspect of Women’s History Month is celebrating women’s contributions to society and history. Throughout history, women have earned the right to vote, have an education and not be considered men’s property. Even with these great advances, women still face adversity and are seen as less, especially in an office setting.
I see videos on social media of celebrities, such as America Ferrera, Emma Watson, Taylor Swift and Scarlett Johansson, talking about a man being in charge is just the boss, but when a woman is in charge, she is bossy or having to answer questions about their underwear. Truthfully, it’s exhausting.
Women have only had the right to vote for 100 years, and we have come a long way since then but there is still more to do. I don’t have the answers on how to fix it or why it is still a problem. Unfortunately, I am not convinced it will ever go away completely, but hopefully experiences like what those women went through on set will.
I hope this provided something to think about. Remember, it starts out small with things like degrading jokes. Before you make those comments, think about how it would make you feel if your daughter came home crying because a boy said the same thing to her. Think of the world you want your daughters or sisters to grow up in. What are you doing to make the world a safe place for their success? Are you doing anything?
I will leave this with a line from Greta Gerwig’s 2019 “Little Women,” one of my favorite quotes: “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for.”
Edited by Jeremy Ford and LeSha’ Davis
