This isn’t easy, exposing yourself to the world and letting them judge you after you’ve already been judged. That’s the thing about bullying, when you tell people there is a stigma. . . surely they did something to the other person, what else is wrong with them etc. You’ve been hurt by one person, to then be judged and labeled by society. But I need to speak out, to try to bring awareness and maybe change, because victims can’t keep being silenced and people can’t keep living in blissful ignorance.
#Metoo is about people in power controlling the subservient via fear (it doesn’t have to be sexual, physical or by a man) it just has to be behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended. According to UK law bullying and harassment is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. Examples of bullying or harassing behaviour include:
- spreading malicious rumors
- unfair treatment
- picking on or regularly undermining someone
- denying someone’s training or promotion opportunities
The law – bullying itself isn’t against the law, but harassment is. This is when the unwanted behaviour is related to one of the following: age, sex, disability, gender (including gender reassignment), marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation.
I have only been bullied by WOMEN, women in power.
Women who see themselves in me and who fear my drive and ambition. I somehow make them look bad and feel insecure. My mere presence in the office reminds them daily of their prior suffering up the corporate ladder. They rationalize their bullying behavior as something that’s part of ‘what it takes to get ahead’ or don’t even realize their behavior isn’t right because it has become so acceptable.
I may not work in Hollywood, or in the fashion industry, but the corporate world is just as broken. We just don’t have the star power to garner the attention needed to bring change. I have always worked in agencies – Advertising/ Creative – US, Sydney, and London.
Agencies are notorious for hiring ambitious young graduates grateful to be in such a ‘cool’ job that they put up with everything and anything to stay in the ‘club’. Consequently, self-perpetuating and validating bullying and other bad behavior through their collective silence, which tells those in power they accept all of the inappropriate behavior towards themselves and others – rationalizing it as ‘part of the job’.
