In case you have not heard, actresses will be protesting sexual harassment at the upcoming Golden Globes ceremony by wearing black. And now, predictably, men want to get in on the protest too, by also wearing black.
I know what you’re thinking: don’t most men wear black every year to the Golden Globes because it’s a black-tie event where actors come in tuxedos? Yes, they do, which makes this a pretty lazy way to protest.
There are many, far more useful ways men in Hollywood could protest rampant sexual harassment: calling out harassment when they see it, refusing to work with sexual predators, placing and routinely replacing a piece of duct tape on Matt Damon’s mouth, etc. But if they want to stick to protest fashion on the Globes carpet, why don’t men wear jumpsuits emblazoned with their salaries?
I don’t care if they use puffy paint, felt appliqué, or a BeDazzler to attach the numbers. Surely Daniel Day-Lewis has picked up some next-level embroidery techniques while preparing for Phantom Thread that he can break out for this occasion. Anything goes! But Hollywood’s leading men should head to their local Michaels and pick their poison, grab some Dickies coveralls, and paint on their million-dollar salaries that are surely bigger than what their female counterparts make for the same movies.
Mark Wahlberg or Tom Hanks publicly disclosing their salaries will obviously not put an end to harassment alone. But if actors and filmmakers want to stand in solidarity with women on the carpet, this is an easy, cheap way to do it. Writer Mary H.K. Choi had the right idea when she tweeted that for “feminist” men who don’t quite know what to do in this moment, salary disclosure is a great place to start.
Get funky with these jumpsuits! Express yourself! And, seriously, please tell women how much money you’re making.
DISCUSSION
I went from working at a public university where everyone’s salaries are published to a private institution where everything is hush hush and no one talks about their salaries. My department is getting ready to hire a new person at the same level as me and you bet your ass I am going to tell them how much I make. I had to fight tooth-and-nail for a fair salary (which is still low compared to my peers due to my field) and I’m worried that someone a few years my junior who didn’t have mentors as great as mine might not know how to do the same and end up low-balled. I really want to reach out when I know they are getting an offer and say “here’s what I make. Use that information as you will.” So it is not only men who need to do this, women need to ensure others coming up the ranks behind us have the data they need to make informed decisions.