“Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn’t ‘offend’ or ‘scare’ men?” asks Jennifer Lawrence, Academy Award-winning actress, who speaks from experience. For years, she strayed from speaking on the complex topic of feminism, but since issues for women in the entertainment industry are gaining more momentum, she recognized that speaking up on the important cause may bring positive change.
In her op-ed in Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter titled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Co-Stars,” Lawrence sparks an important conversation about the wage gap and equal pay. She reveals a concerning reaction to the Sony hack of summer 2014, when she learned that her male co-stars were earning significantly more than she was. “I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself,” she notes. While on the surface this statement may appear self-deprecating, surprising truth lies within it: “I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need.” Yet she is not getting paid for equal work, and regardless of her wealth, that is oppression.
Once Bradley Cooper learned from the Sony hack how much less his co-star Amy Adams made in the film American Hustle, also starring Jennifer Lawrence, he decided not to stay silent on the subject. “She worked every day on that movie and got paid nothing. It’s really horrible actually, it’s almost embarrassing,” Cooper expresses to a reporter from Reuters, where his original quotes were published. He applauds Lawrence and hopes that her bravery will “allow people like Amy to also speak up.”
It may seem as though men are most frequently heard and listened to, but a number of Stone Ridge students disagree. Out of 100 students, 31% do not believe a man’s voice has been heard and more carefully considered than their own. When asked if she’s scared of coming across as “bratty” as Lawrence feared, Julia Winkler, ’18, states that “there’s definitely some unfair things men have to deal with, just like women, but what matters is making sure people understand the difference between unfairness and sexism. Sexism is a system of oppression, not just someone saying something mean. If they believe it’s just and it doesn’t hurt anyone, they shouldn’t be afraid to speak out either.” The student body is particularly split on this issue, as 44% admitting to growing more nervous while sharing their opinion in front of men, and 43% saying they do not (13% say it depends on the situation). These results only complicate how the issue affects students, though plenty believe it does.
Entering and staying relevant in the entertainment industry is difficult enough for anyone, so women shouldn’t have to worry about being paid less than their counterparts. In the same fashion, no one should be coerced into accepting less simply because she is female. “If someone wants a girl to accept less, and their reasoning is that they’re being whiny asking for equal rights, there’s literally no other way to say it: that’s sexism,” says Winkler. This is something that Stone Ridge girls are thoroughly aware of, and that idea is comforting.
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