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I think I am entering uncharted territory by the title of this blog. And then again, maybe not.

A lot can be said about art and the #Metoo Movement but there is not enough space (nor time) to cover it all.

The #Metoo Movement, to me, seems to be an oxymoron, of sorts.

While I totally agree that the men implicated in so many of these recent firings have crossed a line and abused their positions, I think that there is somewhat of a subliminal double-standard that women espouse. I am not saying that women affected by the abuse did anything to deserve it. But, we, men and women, who comprise society and our culture, have created this distortion.

Being of the opinion that not only do men need to be accountable for their actions, women do as well. I think that women, in many cases, allow themselves to be objectified. For the sake of this blog, scantily clad females in provocative poses come to mind. Many people will not agree with me on this but if women make the choices to to allow themselves to be objectified in these ways, why would men oppose it? And at the same time, women expect men to act "respectful" regardless of their choices, be it clothes or their actions.

Sex sells and women have sexual power. In all the arts, it has been eroded. It seems that gradually, over time, there has been a culture shift where women have given up their sexual power and allowed themselves to be exploited. Yet at what expense?

In light of the #Metoo Movement, I am of the opinion that most women would like to be cherished for their mind and other non-sexual attributes. But I think as women, we are very often contradicting what we want. And, unfortunately, the signal is well received.

We want to be respected, loved, valued, to name a few. But what is it that we do or need to do to in our lives and in our art to "earn" those virtues? They are not given out haphazardly. 

I realize there is much, much more I have not expressed in this short blog. There is so much more to say. And while it is rampant in the arts, this issue is both a moral and philosophical issue and well beyond the scope of one or two writings. I simply felt the need to share what I see as a growing trend, largely in the arts and as a detrimental, on-going,  cultural shift.