THE SPOTLIGHT THAT has been shone on Hollywood in recent months has exposed an utterly corrupt and massively sordid underbelly.
And while the public may have felt relatively shell-shocked by the reports which emerged from the entertainment industry, it seems the vast majority of its stars were well-versed in the language of Hollywood.
Indeed, Jessica Alba has this week revealed that since she entered into the industry, she was made to understand that sexual harassment was part and parcel of a career in the limelight.
Jessica, who has been acting since the age of 12, spoke with CNN’s Talk Asia, and confirmed that she has experienced harassment since the beginning of her career, stating: “Oh yeah, of course I have. Yeah. All the time along the way.”
Providing an insight into the attitude which pervades the industry, the mother-of-three, who is now 37, said harassment was so commonplace as to be accepted.
I don’t know, I guess you shouldn’t have accepted it, but, as a young actress growing up in the business, you just accepted that that’s the way you were going to be treated.
And did the industry’s treatment of its female stars play a role in the individual’s career trajectory?
Well, in Jessica’s experience, it seems there was, at times, a correlation between career opportunities and sexual harassment.
You could either go this way or that way with it, and do I think I could’ve gotten some opportunities if I would’ve done this versus that? Sure, but for me, that’s just not something I was comfortable with, frankly… I mean, I’ve been doing this since I was 12. Imagine, imagine what that’s like.
Jessica is hopeful that social movements like #TimesUp and #MeToo will impact the current status quo, but feels more needs to be done to ensure a balance within the industry.
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