Sexual harassment in the industry
Oh yes, it's out there. Sometimes it's out in the open, sometimes in private. Prepare for some more drama from Tamara :)
I'm a beautiful, young woman in her 20's and I get unsolicited dick pics. Oh yes, every new day it's something. Whether it's a vulgar comment on Instagram, private message with "I would totally do you" or an in-person harassment.
Where should I start? Let's start with Facebook.
I have a lot of those so-called "Facebook friends"- people I've never met, but somehow we have mutual friends who we did meet in real life. A lot of these "friends" are men; they're either directors, other actors or crew members. Surprise, surprise. I get so much comments whenever I post something, and a lot of times it has nothing to do with the post. The other day I promoted my new blog, and the first comment I got "Great picture, Tamara". Like okay, John. Thank you, but that was not the point. Or comments under my newest headshots or a demo reel, like "Wow, so beautiful", "Marry me"... Bitch, please... Again, not the point. Why can't people take me seriously? It's not all about the looks, people. Why can't you understand? Yes, looks help to get more attention, but I want people to know me and remember me for my talent, for my quirky, funny, nerdy, Russian, hardworking ass! Okay, maybe ass was the wrong word for that, but you know what I mean ;)
Next up- DICK PICS and all the unsolicited DM's.
If you're a woman- you probably have gotten one at some point. A lot of men think that sending a pic of their hairy, small and gross ding-dong is somehow gonna make us say "Oh my god, look at that. I'm so gonna text him and go out with him like right now. We are definitely gonna have sex." Yeah, no. Guys, that's not how it works. Every self-respecting male is not going to send you nudes unless you two are married or in a relationship. I could say the same thing about females. Girl, that's NOT how you get a guy interested. The RIGHT guy I mean. By sending him a pic of your kit-kat, you basically look like a slut. If you want to send nudes, register on OnlyFans and get paid for them. There's no shame in that. We all gotta make a living somehow.
Unfortunately, a lot of unsolicited pictures I got were from males I used to work with or who wanted to work with me, if I slept with them.
Moving along- sleeping your way in isn't gonna get you to the top.
I used to know this guy- let's call him JP. I worked on two of his projects, the first one as an actor, the second one as a PA. I didn't get paid on neither of them, but that's not the point. After knowing each other for few years, he told me nonchalantly over the phone that he wants to film us having sex. I don't know how many people know I am an OnlyFans girl (top 8% to be specific), but somehow JP thought it was a good idea for me to be with a black guy.
JP wanted for me to come to Columbia, SC and he demanded that we film it on his film equipment. Oh dear, oh dear, so many RED FLAGS. I straight up told him that if he wanted to do it, he would have to pay me, I would edit it and film it on my own camera. I wasn't gonna do it, I just wanted to mess with him. Obviously, it didn't work out. The fact that he had a wife and young, bright kid made me despise him. If he wanted to fuck a white girl, he could've gone to any bar or hired an escort. Why bother me? It's straight up weird and awkward. And because of him there was no more working relationship between us. HE RUINED THAT. Why can't some men think with their head that is on shoulders, and not the one that's hanging at the bottom?
Conclusion, sexual harassments do exist. What can you do? Talk with someone, and if you see something- say something. As actors, as people who are in the toughest industry in the world- it's better to stick together. It's better to be strong.