Article stats: Views: 4896 Votes: 5 Average: 4.20 Added: 2003-08-19 Updated: 2006-12-22 | |
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There is a problem in photo shoots today, sexual harassment. While most photographers out there may not realize it, or even know when it happens, it does. As a shoot promoter I hear about it. Not nearly as often as it happens, but I do hear about it. Models now perhaps will not stand for things they used to ignore.
No matter why, recently some good models have been lost. This is bad for everyone. Models never should have put up the sexual harassment in the first place. When they may have in the past, some photographers may have wrongly assumed their comments and behaviors are acceptable. They were not and are not acceptable.
I know that many of our photographers have had to take classes in the prevention of sexual harassment at their place of employment. What you have learned there does not just apply at work. It applies everywhere.
Guys, this is one part of work you should take with you everywhere. And I have a secret to tell you, women like it. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
It you want to engage in behaviors that are potentially harassing, please don't do it at a photo shoot. I don't want to put your name on my blacklist. Take yourself into a strip club or nude bar and do your hooting, hollering, cat whistles, ogles, and other things. At least there the women expect it, and are hopefully being paid enough to put up with it.
Defined
Some of you may not be aware of exactly what sexual harassment is. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature ... when the submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individuals employment, (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual, or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. [29 CFR 1604 et. seq., see also Title VII 42 USC 2000 et. seq.] Through court cases and rulings of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) this has been interrupted to mean any unwanted behavior, action, words by a member of one sex that makes a member of the opposite sex feel uncomfortable, may be sexual harassment. However, the EEOC's enforcement manual has an example of harassment where both parties are the same sex.
That is a very broad definition for sexual harassment. It has to be, because so many things can be harassment. The keys are that it is unwanted and it makes the other person feel uncomfortable. The same thing can either be harassment or not. The key is in how it is perceived. If you do not engage in anything that could be perceived as unwanted you won't be guilty. There are many interesting cases cited, several of which may apply to the model, photographer relationship. Other rulings might apply to the sponsor, model, photographer relationship.
I believe that about 80% of the harassment at shoots is unintentional. Words come out wrong, or there are misunderstandings as to the type of event, or other things. As for the other 20%, about half of that is simply the photographer getting carried away with the flow. T...
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