Thank you so much for this piece Sarene. Your story at RS is remarkably similar to what I experienced working at MCA/Universal records as an assistant to two A&R guys when I was in my 20's. The saddest part in recalling the abuse there was that I thought it was just totally normal. That's how much I had internalized the misogyny. One of my bosses befriended my roommate and tried to have phone sex with her. He also regularly consumed porn on business trips that I had to create expense reports for. One time a friend of mine visited me at the office and my boss later said "If you get me a date with her, I'll make sure you get a raise and promotion." So many women across so many fields have stories like this. I'm not a confrontational person by nature and I'm quite introverted - but even I can't let myself stay quiet anymore in the face of all the harm and suffering we're seeing and will continue to see. Time to get LOUD!
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Jenny. I was so clueless about how pervasive this kind of behavior is in countless industries. My therapist literally had to tell me I was being emotionally abused -- and that my boss was a narcissist -- because I had no idea that what was happening to me was toxic. It's so hard to know when everyone around you enables the despicable behavior (men AND women!). All of the women at RS were in some form of survival mode, but I'll never forgive the two women I mentioned in the post: The boomer who advised me to "grow a thicker skin" and the millennial who sneered, "I'm not getting involved." What's so telling about the latter one is she is one of only two women I worked with who is still at RS. And I left in 2014!
Thank you so much for this piece Sarene. Your story at RS is remarkably similar to what I experienced working at MCA/Universal records as an assistant to two A&R guys when I was in my 20's. The saddest part in recalling the abuse there was that I thought it was just totally normal. That's how much I had internalized the misogyny. One of my bosses befriended my roommate and tried to have phone sex with her. He also regularly consumed porn on business trips that I had to create expense reports for. One time a friend of mine visited me at the office and my boss later said "If you get me a date with her, I'll make sure you get a raise and promotion." So many women across so many fields have stories like this. I'm not a confrontational person by nature and I'm quite introverted - but even I can't let myself stay quiet anymore in the face of all the harm and suffering we're seeing and will continue to see. Time to get LOUD!
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Jenny. I was so clueless about how pervasive this kind of behavior is in countless industries. My therapist literally had to tell me I was being emotionally abused -- and that my boss was a narcissist -- because I had no idea that what was happening to me was toxic. It's so hard to know when everyone around you enables the despicable behavior (men AND women!). All of the women at RS were in some form of survival mode, but I'll never forgive the two women I mentioned in the post: The boomer who advised me to "grow a thicker skin" and the millennial who sneered, "I'm not getting involved." What's so telling about the latter one is she is one of only two women I worked with who is still at RS. And I left in 2014!
It was obviously not intended for you. But it was intended for someone.