In music, too, women are harassed.
Nothing new under the glitter, the professionals would say.
"Sexist and sexual violence in the music industry has always been there, only nobody wanted to see them or really take the measure", writes on her blog Emily Gonneau, author and creator of the Unicum Music label.
Nothing new then, except the desire to break the silence.
In November 2019, Emily Gonneau published the hashtag #MusicToo for the first time in a blog where she recounted, in the third person, a personal experience of harassment, which had occurred twelve years previously.
"The facts: the n + 2 of the attacked took action in the workplace, in public and with total impunity. The victim went to see the works council (works council) which organized a meeting "You with HR then Management. Next: nothing. No sanction for the aggressor," she wrote.
With "anger intact", Emily Gonneau denounces the impunity enjoyed by her attacker who "now occupies a high position in the music industry. (...) And the victim in all this? She managed this trauma with the means at hand, ”she continues.
"Since then, she left on her own. (…) This act still disgusts her to this day. You will understand, this story is mine and yet, it is sadly banal," she continues.
Calls for testimonials
So banal that since his testimony, the hashtag #MusicToo has made its way on the networks.
Without waiting for the affairs of Moha La Squale or Romeo Elvis (French rappers accused of sexual assault), #MusicToo has been picked up on several sites and accounts, which collect testimonies on sexual harassment in the music industry.
Among them, DIVA, Balance Ta Major, Change de disk or the anonymous collective #MusicTooFrance.
Last July, the latter launched an appeal that ended on October 1.
"We have collected 302 testimonies that we must now analyze, qualify, to extract data," said the collective in a statement published on October 1.
The collective has not published the stories collected, making it a point of honor to protect the anonymity of the victims.
He does not want to risk an identity being guessed "by cross-checking", "which can place them in delicate situations (as a reminder, 80% of victims who dare to speak are forced to leave their functions)", specifies the press release.
He also fears the trivialization of violence.
"The accumulation of stories normalizes violence: we lower our tolerance threshold by considering that 'it is part of the decor'".
Finally, it does not encourage a "call-out" - a method democratized by the #MeeToo and #BalanceTonPorc movements which consists of designating the alleged aggressors by their name.
Not so much to avoid the witch hunt as to protect their investigation.
Because its initiative on the networks is only a first step before in-depth investigations and if possible the opening of judicial inquiries.
View this post on Instagram
#BalanceTonRappeur but all the others too: #MusicToo.
We know what you have done, we also know the strength of the victims and the effectiveness of anonymity.
Fear changes sides.
#OnTeCroit #TuNesPasSolle #TuNesPasSeul
A post shared by #MusicTooFrance (@musictoofrance) on Sep 9, 2020 at 2:10 am PDT
Systemic violence
The collective's objective is not only to "break the silence", but to "change the music industry".
Just as Emily Gonneau wishes.
Since her testimony, she has set up the association "Change de disk" to tackle the causes of the problem.
A challenge in this industry where violence against women is systemic.
In a survey on health and well-being in the music industry in France, unveiled in October 2019 by Collective Cura and the Guild of Music Artists (GAM),
31% of the 256 respondents working in the music sector say they have been victims, at least once, of sexual harassment (almost one in three women), of which 39% are female artists and 24% are professionals in the sector.
And this violence feeds on structural problems in terms of equality between women and men, analyzes the association Change de disk.
If 60% of music students are women, only 1% of female artists are rewarded, according to the report of the High Council for Equality of 2018. Last June, the Assises des femmes de la musique et du spectacle also pointed out gender disparities.
According to their report, women are under-represented in the workforce of companies in the sector, in particular among intermittent workers (34% female artists, 25% technicians).
As for salaries, for a technician, they are on average less than 6% than that of a technician;
less than 9% for female artists.
“As a woman in music, we are asked to be better than others and, if we are, we are never told. There is a lot of pressure on the physical, on the dress. fat, you have to be beautiful, slim, chic, super strong, but also always behind at least one man sometimes less qualified ", attests a testimony quoted in the CURAxGAM report.
Some figures published: pic.twitter.com/UecK0XT0j0
- DIVA (@diva_infos) September 28, 2020
"The word gives back power"
After the findings, come the fighting.
"Women in music have been active behind the scenes for a long time, but we are finally reaching a tipping point: they are no longer isolated, they talk to each other and help each other," says Emily Gonneau in her manifesto.
The movement is notably supported by renowned artists such as Pomme, Camélia Jordana, Jeanne Added or Christine & The Queens.
In a long message posted on Instagram, the latter wrote: "I am not surprised".
"Each of us have experienced a more or less tenuous form of harassment, sexist remarks," writes Chris.
"To be a woman in a record company office is to be a woman like any other. A body in a photoshoot; the photographer holds the lens at her crotch level. A body in a studio, when a hand goes up in the back,
it's cuddly break time
.
A body facing a journalist who grabs his hand to lick his fingertips, so you're bisexual, you like it in the ass?
"
,
Today, women are talking.
A first step, which makes sense, as Chris still writes: "The system is still in place. Until now, it was protected by a padded silence, and this silence came from power. From its distribution (…) The word gives back power, if only the power of the voice. The voice as life. Without even singing, this makes sense ".
I have something to say, and it is long.
#tunespasseule #jetecrois pic.twitter.com/L5KtR2gyef
- Chris (@QueensChristine) October 2, 2020
INFO: Women victims of violence can contact 3919. Free and anonymous, this telephone number is accessible from 9 am to 7 pm from Monday to Saturday.
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR