I am fuming. The last time I remember being this angry at the contestants on this show was in season 15 with all the racist and homophobic comments. That season, the producers of that show brought that issue to light. This year, they decided to bring a very disturbing issue to light. Why so disturbing, you ask? It's a situation that way too many ladies can relate to in today's day of age: sexual harassment.
Meet Frank Eudy. Frank was a previous contestant on Big Brother 14, and now he is a current contestant on Big Brother 18. He is 32-years-old and from Charlotte, North Carolina. He says the three adjectives that describe him are: personable, funny, and loud.
Hey Frank, did you know that sexual harassment is NOT funny?
This Sunday, Big Brother showed footage of Frank sexually harassing three different women. If you didn't see last night's episode, I decided to leave the separate incidents down below which were seen on the live feeds.
Let's talk about the first clip, as this is the clip that left me fuming. De'vonne is clearly upset about Frank slapping her on the butt and tells him to stop. This "gentleman" has the audacity to laugh at her request and states that "she's not serious". Gee Frank, I would think that any female would be serious about her wanting you to stop touching her inappropriately. De'vonne begins sobbing and Paulie and Corey immediately go after her to console her. In walks none other than Frank himself, completely dumbfounded at the sight of De'vonne sobbing and says "I'm sorry De I didn't mean to". Then what did you mean to do? Then, you see him talking to another girl and he tells her "I just popped her on the butt," which the female he's talking to tells him to stop doing it, which he replies back with "I've done it before and she never seemed mad, I don't know why..." Just because she didn't say anything does not mean it's okay, nor does it give you permission to do it. Honestly, if you're wondering why she's so mad about it, you are a uneducated fool.
Let's talk about clip number two. You are able to tell that Zakiyah is so uncomfortable with this jerk being around her after he slaps her stomach. Look at her body language: she looks annoyed and scared. No woman should ever have to feel like this.
If you think those two above situations where the only ways he sexually harassed someone, you are unfortunately wrong. If you watch the section of Sunday night's episode (see bottom of the article for more details), he uses some of the most derogatory terms you could ever call a lady: "fatty", "hussy", "slut". When De'vonne calls him a douche, he retaliates and that's when he calls her a "slut". To be honest, she's not wrong; however, he on the other hand is too ignorant and uneducated to realize that his behavior towards his female houseguests is unacceptable to begin with. He's basically insulting these women, and he thinks it's totally okay to do it because he considers it to be "joking around". I'm sorry, I didn't know you thought insulting someone with derogatory terms was just "joking around". The fact that you think it's funny says a lot about your character.
Since Big Brother is a reality television show, it is appropriate to say that producers are choosing to air things that are, well, reality. It is unfortunate to say that sexual harassment is still something that happens in our world today. Women are getting treated just like these woman on the show were getting treated, or getting catcalled when they walk down the street, or being stalked by creepy men when they have let them know they want them to quit their behavior. There are other ways that women are getting sexually harassed that I haven't even mentioned. Young boys are not getting a good example of how to correctly treat a woman because they see men like Frank doing this and they think it's perfectly okay because "it's funny" or "they didn't say anything before when I did that".
To any man reading this article: I pray to God right now that you have never sexually harassed a woman in your life, and that you will never do so. If you do it right now, stop it. If you find yourself about to say or do something that would be considered sexual harassment, don't do it. If you happen to do that said then, apologize for it and admit that you were wrong. Ladies appreciate that more than you think.
To any woman reading this article: you have a voice. I pray to God that you use it. No man has a God given right to say inappropriate things to you or touch you inappropriately, and any man that does is an ignorant fool. You are worth so much more than that.
To parents reading this article:De'vonne said "I don't want my daughter to see that and think it's okay for guys to hit girls on the butt or for guys to call girls sluts...I'm raising a daughter!" I want you to ask yourself, "if that were my daughter getting harassed, how would I feel?" or better yet "if that were my son harassing other women, how would I feel and what does that say about me as a parent?"
If you have a son: I pray to God that you raise him correctly and teach him that this kind of behavior is not acceptable whatsoever, that it's not how "real men" behave. They have no right to treat any lady like that, whether it be through words or actions. If you have a daughter, I pray that you teach her how to stand up for herself with as much dignity and respect as she can possibly muster. Talk to her about how women should and should not be treated so she is able to recognize when she is being mistreated. Teach her that she has a voice, and she should use it for not only herself, but for other women as well. I really cannot stress these things enough.
To anyone reading this article: change needs to be made, but we need to work together in order for that to happen. It's time to finally make things right once and for all.
If you're looking for any national hotlines and resources about sexual harassment, click here to go to the feminist.org site.
If you want to watch the clips from the full episode, click here and watch from 14:10-19:08.