This post covers incidences of rape and sexual assault. Please be aware that this may be triggering for some readers.
I originally posted a fuller, much longer, and more thorough version of this on the 30th of April, 2011. If you have the time, I highly encourage you to read that version, as it expresses my point more clearly.
I feel that this issue is very important, which is why I've now turned it into a page on my blog, to keep it at the top, and in view. I've made this version shorter, in order to, hopefully, reach a wider audience.
Girls Gone Wild is a series of films/an event staged by Mantra Films Inc, which is lead by Joe Francis, a man who has served prison time, after pleading no contest to charges of child abuse and prostitution. Essentially, the camera crew enter bars and clubs, on evenings agreed upon by the management, and coerce young women into performing sexual acts and stripping for the camera. These young women - traditionally, university aged, so under twenty-five - will normally be drunk, and will be encouraged to drink more.
Of course, women can make their own decisions. They can choose to strip for a camera, if they want to. They can choose to be filmed performing sex acts, if they want to. But, my feeling is, that they should not make these decisions while drunk, while being coerced into drinking more than they'd intended, or under a strict time limit, like in a Girls Gone Wild evening. Both of these things will make someone more likely to make a decision she'll regret.
You can read a full article from Clare Hoffman for the LA Times here. In it, she accompanies Joe Francis, who truly believes that the 1st Amendment covers his right to produce pornography, under-age or otherwise.
It has been hard for young women to convince judges and juries that they were unwilling to be filmed. As some of the images were filmed in public, Francis has argued his right to use the images in his films, and has sometimes won these cases. In a case in St Louis, it was ruled that the lady in question gave 'implied consent' simply by being in the area, despite the fact that her breasts were exposed against her will, and she gave no verbal or written consent whatsoever. Her protests are clearly audible on the video.
Clare Hoffman's article includes a description of an event at a Girls Gone Wild Event (page 4 of the article linked above). A young girl was invited back to the Girls Gone Wild van, unaware of what was expected of her, and in no fit state to make a decision. There, Francis had sexual intercourse with her, despite her saying 'no', and asking him to stop.
When asked about this, Francis became angry at Hoffman, calling her names, and threatening her before directing her to his lawyer. The article goes on to describe Francis' accusations towards Hoffman; that she had a crush on him, that she was drunk, and that she does not stand up for freedom of speech. His lawyer states that, although Francis did have sexual relations with Szyszka, the girl in question, these were consensual, and that the discomfort was due to Francis' endowment.
I'm not saying that women shouldn't do pornography, or strip, or do whatever they choose to do, if it is legal, hurts no one, and, if they truly feel empowered by it. But, I think women should make these decisions in their own time, with no coercion from anyone, and certainly not under the circumstances described above.
These events resonate deeply with me. I've been raped and sexually assaulted in the past, and I know that, even if I'd been able to fight then, the mental part of it would have been at least half the battle. Deciding when it's okay to fight, it's okay to go against the will of those around you, and be the 'bitch' who 'overreacted' - that's harder than it sounds. Learning Krav Maga does help me feel able to defend myself, to have more confidence in saying that I want something to stop, before it reaches that point, and to know that I can back it up. For those who are interested, you can find information on Krav Maga Birmingham here. For ladies in London, there is a female-only introductory workshop taking place on the 8th of May. Sarah Brendlor often does female-only events, and women-only six week courses, so its worth checking back if you can't make that one.
Girls Gone Wild has, so far, been a purely American phenomenon. However, the company is planning a UK wide tour in May. So far, the areas targeted are not known, though planned locations do include all of Britain's major cities and some smaller towns.
A spokesman for the company claimed the following; "Girls Gone Wild is an American phenomenon and a real household name in the States where the tours are always really well received.
"We are really excited about bringing the brand and its road show to the UK and we expect British young men and women to have a fantastic time at the events which are a really fun celebration of freedom and youthful expression."
It's untrue that the tours are always well-received. Ashurst Wood Parish Council have already ruled that Girls Gone Wild is not an appropriate activity for the Parish to be involved with, and some smaller bars in the US have made similar rulings. A state senator in Tennessee is working on banning their advertisements, but, sadly, all discussion on the subject seems to be along the lines of "why is he wasting his time on that? Don't senators have better things to worry about?"
Many feminist groups - including the one I attend, the Birmingham Femms - are campaigning against this tour. Object.org has a form letter you can download and send to your local MP or city council. In Birmingham, that's Gisela Stuart (bagshawl@parliament.uk), and Birmingham City Council (contact@birmingham.gov.uk), respectively. For other areas, you can find your local MP here, and your local Council here. Make the decision, while you're sober and calm, that you don't want to meet this camera crew while drunk and hyped up.
Thanks for listening.
Please feel free to comment on the original post if you disagree, have more information to add, or wish to discuss the issue. I reserve the right to delete all insulting or inflammatory comments - keep it clean and polite, please!
