GRAY IN L.A.:
Let's face it. For women, life at work is closely associated with sexism -- in other words, the regular daily crimes of bullying and sexual transgressions are forever in full swing. That's how the world works. People everywhere are pretty much misbehaving, doing bad, nasty, harmful, insulting, dumb, dangerous and despicable things. Both, men and women. Usually for different reasons.
Do they get punished for overstepping the line, even doing unlawful things? Is there justice? Very often not at all. But right now there are reasons for joy because there are two show-cases that demonstrate that reckless and arrogant culprits of any age or gender don't always get away with everything like their kind used to. It's PAY BACK TIME!
First, we have Gretchen Carlson (50). The blond former Fox News anchor with the friendly face sued her old boss for sexual harassment. Roger Ailes, (76), allegedly Fox News' dirty old man, thought nothing of making life and work hell for some of Fox's female employees. Now, some are stepping into the limelight and want to share tales of unwanted attention. We're waiting, not totally surprised, aren't we?
But while men are the main sexual harassers, women can be villains as well. Apparently, young women are rather capable of downright cruel and condescending harassment.
Remember two months ago, the Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers thought it was hilarious to snapchat a less-than-gorgeous naked older woman in an "L.A. Fitness" gym in New York and put her online.
The 29-year-old Bunny added a giggling photo of herself and the crude caption to her body shaming of this unsuspecting senior for her fans. "If I can't unsee this then you can't either." Not everybody laughed and so she was banned from all "L.A. Fitness" facilities nationwide -- quite a feat for a bodilicious Bunny.
But now there's worse news for her and good news for us older women who have the nerve to have a well lived-in-body and yet dare to not hide at home and only step out at night like Dracula. http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/dani-mathers-could-face-charges-for-body-shaming-gym-pic-report-w438154
Los Angeles police have allegedly located the woman she photographed naked in the locker room. The case is under review, and the "snapped" woman, who is in her 70s, is willing to testify against Mathers. Now, nosy Dani could be charged with dissipation of private images, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. Not to worry, there could be wonderful, super-secret prison selfies waiting for us, if she would ever have to go there.
When people misbehave (and worse) either denial or a wave of dutiful and dull apologies follow. Roger Ailes denies, of course, Dani pleads: "I understand fully the magnitude of this post that I have hurt a lot of people, women. Body shaming is not okay...and not something to joke about." No, it isn't Dani! Don't forget that you will also be 72 one fine day. In the meantime keep your iPhone out of gyms and find more classy entertainment.
So what's the message here? Basically, a good one. It means that more and more women -- and all these scandals are mostly about women being insulted and derided -- wont take it lying down in silence anymore -- and that people in general aren't looking the other way as often as they used to.
Bad Behavior isn't cool or rad, harmless or excusable. Not for very rich and very powerful old executives and sexist boy's club members, and not for brainless, big-busted Playboy Bunnies.
There's only one thing that really irks me, demonstrating that in spite of these little victories, inequality of the sexes is alive and kicking.
Roger Ailes gets $40 million to empty his office, while Gretchen only gets a public apology and $20 million for speaking up and emptying her grievances.
Hang in there, women! We're getting better at this...
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
