This is a speech from Caroline Criado-Perez, a journalist and feminist activist. She is the co-founder of Week Woman, which you can find here.
Warning: This post deals with the topic of sexual assault and online harassment, and may be distressing for some readers.
Before I begin, I just want to warn you all, that I will be quoting some of the abusive messages I have received. They include offensive language and references to sexual violence, which may be triggering for some.
So I’d like to start off by giving you a bit of background into what led up to the harassment I received for over two weeks in July and August, because I think it’s important to see how little it takes to provoke this kind of abuse – it’s important to face up to how much of a problem we still have with widespread misogyny against any woman who dares to use her voice in public.
So some of you may have heard of a campaign I ran from April to July this year, asking the Bank of England to review its decision to have an all-male line-up on banknotes. (note to media, I really didn’t campaign for Jane Austen’s face on a banknote, please stop saying I did, thank you!) The campaign received quite a lot of media attention, and I spent much of my time rehearsing arguments about the damage a public culture saturated with white male faces does to the aspirations and achievements of women and young girls.
As a result of this media attention, throughout the campaign I had been on the receiving end of your garden variety sexist communications. The sort that call you a bitch, a cunt, that tell you to get back to the kitchen. The sort that tell you to shut up, stop whining, stop moaning – to get a life. The sort that tell you to deal with the more important things because, after all, the Queen’s on all the notes anyway isn’t she. Only you probably wouldn’t realise that because you’re a woman and women are stupid.
These communications hurt and irritated in equal measure. They didn’t hurt because they were overtly abusive: they hurt because it was a reminder of how far women had to go before we were treated equally – but on the other hand, they were a reminder of how important the campaign was. I was fighting for the representation of women, because I firmly believed that the paucity of women in public life entrenched sexist attitudes towards us – and here was my proof.
But then I got a letter, sent to my mum’s house. And this was my first taste of how far some men will go to intimidate women they disapprove of. Women who stand up, speak out and say “No, this is wrong, and I’m not having it.” The letter was not in itself threatening, but it left me shaken – as it was intended to. The contents of the letter were immaterial in many ways – they were merely a conduit for a man to tell me, a woman he disliked, that he knew were I lived. That he’d gone to the trouble of seeking out my address online. That he could come round any time he wanted.
Top Comments
Oh my god, who are these people? Am I just lucky with my range of acquaintances r do they hide really well?
I was (am) absolutely horrified reading the abuse aimed at Caroline. There are no words. Caroline I want you to know that you are appreciated for your campaigns for equality for women. Unfortunately there is a very long way to go. I think the problem is that a lot of people don't recognize that women are not equal in the first place (like hello!)... or they don't take it seriously. I was telling my boyfriend about the comments and he was shocked but two seconds later he was on to a different topic. People don't understand the gravity of the situations that women face. I would like to get involved in a feminist movement. I think women need to start demanding respect though as Caroline has found out, its not without risks for those involved. Can anyone tell me how to get involved in feminist issues? This article shows me that it is about time we put a stop to these misogynistic losers.