CHARLOTTE CUMMING

Year 12 MEDIA

#NotAllMen

Intention

Within my production I intended to explore the recent issue regarding #NotAllMen, a common phrase used as rebuttal to generalized statements and prejudice, regarding the treatment of women by men. Despite the expression holding some truth in regard to not all men contributing or participating in the horrific treatment of women, women every day have to experience the feeling of fearing for their life or safety at the hands of a man. Many women when alone at night on public transport and the streets constantly feel anxious and have to be especially cautious about their surroundings and actions in order to ensure their safety as much as possible. As a result they have to take numerous precautions (such as having awareness of lighting on streets when walking at night, as well as taking extreme behaviours such as altering where they go), that men do not even have to consider. Therefore the expression #NotAllMen can never really be truthful, or at least feel truthful until women are able to feel safe in all the situations and environments that they currently are not given the reassurance of doing so. This issue has had significant presence within the media, especially in correlation with the death of Sarah Everard which refocused society's awareness of the disproportionate treatment towards women, even at the hands of those who women should be able to trust such as policemen, of which with the death of Sarah Everard proved false. In correlation the issue was further discussed, as a result being faced with the excuse that it is “not all men” who act in such a way, in response many took to social media on platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter to communicate how that statement is false. The #NotAllMen phrase reflects that the lived experience by women is not understood by men. As a result, I, therefore, intended to create a documentary that highlights the lack of safety that women are forced to experience when alone in certain situations, using media products, interviews, and reenactments to communicate how it feels to be a woman. Therefore causing those who are not women to consider what they can do in order to improve the standard of living for them, and to secondly reinforce how no woman is alone in feeling vulnerable.

I am ultimately making this product in order to highlight and raise awareness for women and the treatment that they are exposed to by men, and society's lack of effectual and beneficial actions in improving their livelihood. Ultimately attempting to make my male audience aware of the issue and to get them to understand what women need to navigate in order to feel safe, therefore educating them on what it is like to be a woman within today’s society.