Sexual Harassment in the Outdoors

[ski diva]

An interesting article in Outside Magazine: Six women talk about their experiences with harassment while recreating or working in the outdoor industry.

Go here.

 

[newboots]

Thanks for posting this. I didn’t want to “like.”

 

[SallyCat]

I thought this podcast was interesting. It's about a climber named Sasha DiGiulian who was bullied for eight years by a male climber and then when she spoke out about it, a predictable deluge of hate fell upon her. The podcast treats the issue fairly well, though there are some significant issues with their language choices at times, which I mention in the comment section. I think it's an example of two well-intentioned and empathetic male journalists trying to be fair to DiGiulian, but inadvertently falling a bit short. Perhaps it's a useful glimpse into the lacuna between female experience and male understanding even among the most conscientious of men?

 

[VickiK]

You might like this podcast, story on The Woman Who Rides Mountains - Sarah Gerhardt, surfer.

 

[marzNC]

Haven't read the Outside Mag article yet, but the discussion reminded me of a recent article in Powder. It's about the fact that there was a full team of big mountain skiers who happen to be women who were filmed for the next Matchstick ski movie. The subtitle is "Finally, a major ski movie is starring a nearly equal proportion of women to men." Angel Collinson, Michelle Parker, Elyse Saugstad, Ingrid Backstrom, and Tatum Monod were the women who presented a proposal to Matchstick that got the ball rolling.

Is the Token Female in Ski Movies a Thing of the Past? - by Megan Michelson

" . . .
They had a crew and an idea, but they needed funding. Backstrom pitched the film project to MSP and they wanted it. "This group of women came to us and said, 'Let's make something kick ass,' and we said, 'Hell yes,'" says Wais. "We really liked the idea and found it interesting that a film like this hasn't been done before. Films either feature one or two females or female ski films don't feature any males at all. This film seemed to be the best of both worlds.
. . ."

 

[CrystalRose]

An interesting article in Outside Magazine: Six women talk about their experiences with harassment while recreating or working in the outdoor industry.

Go here.

What the heck did I just read?! Those accounts were horrible. I hate the vulnerability of being a woman.

 

[SallyCat]

Another interesting piece by Caroline Gleich here on dealing with people doubting and trying to undermine her accomplishment.

 

[VickiK]

That is an incredibly strong and inspiring statement. More power to Caroline Gliech!

 

[newboots]

What the heck did I just read?! Those accounts were horrible. I hate the vulnerability of being a woman.

I get it, @CrystalRose. I work hard to keep myself safe but I have a little protection from not being young and hot any more. #metoo is helping, too!

 

[SallyCat]

I get it, @CrystalRose. I work hard to keep myself safe but I have a little protection from not being young and hot any more. #metoo is helping, too!

I've recommended this here before, I'm certain, so forgive the redundancy but I think it's worth it: Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me is just a must-read. It's about SO much more than "mansplaining."

 

[newboots]

Another interesting piece by Caroline Gleich here on dealing with people doubting and trying to undermine her accomplishment.

Ugh, and ugh. Over and over in history, we see the systematic bias reinforced by the people who don't like their masculinity threatened. Why would you feel threatened? So many male-dominated arenas have behaved like this. Years ago, I read some interesting research. Women who infiltrated white-collar, male-dominated professions were paid less, sexually harassed, and ostracized. Women who worked in physical, blue-collar, male-dominated trades were often put in physical danger, and injured. They won't give up their privilege easily.

 

[Powgirl]

Unfortunately, I learned as a young woman to never go anywhere alone. Early in my career, I got hit on by a LOT by clients...fortunately, my male co-workers and bosses were always respectful, and I worked in male dominated white collar environments. Many of them never let me walk out from the office after dark to my car without an escort.

When I traveled alone frequently for business, I always ate dinner in my room...I scheduled my flights during busy times in the day.

I have been mugged twice...the second time, I was determined to not give up my purse, fought back, and the mugger punched me in the face.

I've taught my daughter the same...and I enrolled her in martial arts when she was a teen...she knows some mean Capoeira moves.

Its a sad reality, for sure...

 

[CrystalRose]

I get it, @CrystalRose. I work hard to keep myself safe but I have a little protection from not being young and hot any more. #metoo is helping, too!

I have a lot of things going for me that "protects" me too. The main one is my resting b@#$h face. I'm almost never approached in public by either gender. The second is being 6 feet tall. I'm taller than most men I encounter so I don't usually feel intimated by them (unless they are giving off creep vibes). But, I'm not foolish enough to believe that makes me safe. I have a male friend who is around 5'2" that can pick me up fairly easily. It's always a reminder for me that a man at any size has a man's strength and I would be no match in a true fight.

So like @Powgirl I try to not put myself in potentially compromising situations but I still do. I walk in a dark parking garage every day. I walk to my car at night alone. I hike and ski alone. I have pepper spray on my key chain with the hopes that I will remember that it's there if anything were to ever happen but knowing that I probably won't. It still makes me feel better.

Also @Powgirl, what happened after the mugger punched you?

 

[CrystalRose]

Another interesting piece by Caroline Gleich here on dealing with people doubting and trying to undermine her accomplishment.

I watched a skiing documentary about her! It's about 20 minutes long and free on REI. It was very interesting but it sucks that she's still getting crap. Maybe I don't know enough about mountaineering but what does it matter even if she did use guides? The guides didn't ski down the mountain with her on their backs! It was still her skills that got her down those difficult lines in one piece.

 

[VickiK]

...try to not put myself in potentially compromising situations but I still do...

So true. You can't live in a buffered cocoon or have a bodyguard escort all the time, so you must be conscious of your surroundings and take calculated risks without turning paranoid about it.

 

[CrystalRose]

So true. You can't live in a buffered cocoon or have a bodyguard escort all the time, so you must be conscious of your surroundings and take calculated risks without turning paranoid about it.

I could go on for days about being paranoid but fighting it off! For example, I was hanging out with a new friend (so I don't know her that well) last weekend and a friend of hers offered us a ride. Immediately I thought this could be a ploy to trap me in the car, overpower me, and harvest my organs but I told myself to shut up and get in. Now the person seemed alright enough but I've never met a organ harvester so what do I know?!

 

[Powgirl]

I have a lot of things going for me that "protects" me too. The main one is my resting b@#$h face. I'm almost never approached in public by either gender. The second is being 6 feet tall. I'm taller than most men I encounter so I don't usually feel intimated by them (unless they are giving off creep vibes). But, I'm not foolish enough to believe that makes me safe. I have a male friend who is around 5'2" that can pick me up fairly easily. It's always a reminder for me that a man at any size has a man's strength and I would be no match in a true fight.

So like @Powgirl I try to not put myself in potentially compromising situations but I still do. I walk in a dark parking garage every day. I walk to my car at night alone. I hike and ski alone. I have pepper spray on my key chain with the hopes that I will remember that it's there if anything were to ever happen but knowing that I probably won't. It still makes me feel better.

Also @Powgirl, what happened after the mugger punched you?

I fell back and he got away with my purse!!

I should clarify a bit...of course, there are lots of things I do on my own, including skiing, but I avoid compromising situations, for sure...there is safety in numbers.

 

[CrystalRose]

I fell back and he got away with my purse!!

Aww dang! I assumed that but I was hoping that it had a different outcome. To be willing to punch a woman in the face over a purse smh...