Grabbing the P*ssy, the Sequel

“I’m Used To It!” – Harvey Weinstein

I hate it when a guy can’t take no for an answer. And apparently, Hollywood powerhouse producer Harvey Weinstein, can’t. And that led to his downfall.

The worst-kept secret is out! One of the most powerful men in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein, is a sexual predator. His wife knows. His company knows. The all-male board of The Weinstein Company knows. Everybody knows! In fact, if you say his name slowly, it sounds really creepy.

Apparently his bad behavior of sexual harassment has been going on for decades, according to explosive investigative reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker. Talk about spilling some t-e-a. That Harvey Weinstein bomb has been ticking for a very, very, very long time. And when it exploded in Hollywood, the silence was deafening. Call it shock. Call it fear. Call it whatever you want. It took everyone a minute to realize that another dam of sexual  misconduct was breaking. And thanks to timing and some #girlpower, the floodgates opened!

More than 40 women have accused Weinstein of either sexual harassment, sexual assault and/or rape, including Oscar winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie as well as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette. Weinstein has been paying off women for his p*ssy-grabbing ways for a long time. Actresses, agents, publicists, managers, and other industry insiders whispered among themselves, and warned clients of Weinstein’s ways. In fact, in a 2012 episode of NBC’s “30 Rock,” one of the characters – Jenna, portrayed by Jane Krakowsk — cracked a joke, saying “I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions … .” Folks knew, but Weinstein was protected by his White privilege, power and clout.

Call it power hungry, power tripping, ego tripping or just trippin,’ boo! A Hollywood kingmaker has been dethroned. Weinstein is done. So done, he was fired from his own company. So done, The Weinstein Company is considering changing its name. So done, they are removing his name from tv and film credits. So done, they’ve kicked him out of the Academy! So done, they are selling “RIP Harvey Weinstein” t-shirts and hoodies online. Done … or at least “done for now.” To be continued.

Weinstein joins the club of mighty titans who’ve fallen because of their bad boy behavior – that is, Roger Ailes, Bill Cosby and Bill O’Reilly. This just might be a season of cleansing the palette of sexual harassment in Hollywood. Almost a year ago, America was treated to the “locker room talk” of Donald Trump and the former “Today Show” host Billy Bush with the release of the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape. Caught on tape, Trump admitted to sexually-assaulting women. Movie goers love a good sequel. Well, Weinstein gave us one.

The Rules of Engagement in La-La Land

In 2001, when my bright-eyed and bushy-tailed self arrived in LA, I, like so many other young women, was ready for new adventures and new opportunities. What I didn’t know at the time were the rules of engagement for Hollywood. But as you become a part of the entertainment industry, you become aware of them and the land mines of Hollywood.

As I began launching my career as an entertainment publicist, many of my friends were aspiring actresses who schooled me on various aspects of the business, including the “casting couch” – that is, trading sexual favors for a part in a film or tv show. It wasn’t uncommon for my friends to share with me tales of how an agent, a publicist, a casting director, a director — just any male, in general — propositioned them in exchange for advancement in the industry. Because we were all naïve, Southern girls, we wondered: “Who would do that just to get ahead?” Well, there’s a culture in Hollywood where sex is currency. Some women use it, and others don’t.

I’ve been groped. Touched. And hugged just a little too long, and a little bit too hard. There’s the married Hollywood influencer who asked me to bring a bikini to a business meeting. There’s the editor’s husband of a MAJOR entertainment magazine who propositioned me because he and his wife have “an understanding.”

There’s the photographer who I deleted from my media list because every time he saw me, he felt the need to greet me with a “big ole hug and kiss.” I was repulsed every time he touched me. At first, I thought they were innocent embraces, but when your skin crawls, that’s a pretty good indication that it’s not so innocent.

And then, there’s the really bodacious, high-profiled, 60-something LA politician who groped me publicly at a neighborhood Coffee Bean. On a Saturday afternoon, I bumped into him at the local coffee shop. I was dressed very casually – not in my usual red-carpet finery – but instead, wearing a t-shirt and distressed jeans. Do you know that man was like an octopus, trying to put his hand in the holes of my jeans! He had no shame. His hands were everywhere, but thankfully, my hands were moving much faster than his.

But that’s not all … at a function, the same politician snuck up behind me and tried to “pop my bra,” while grinning like a cheshire cat. That was his way of saying, “hello.” Thank goodness the clasp was in the front where I could keep an eye on it. I asked him, “What are you doing? That’s so 1965! Please don’t ever do that again.” And he didn’t. I made sure of it.

Actress Rosanna Arquette said “I will never be that girl,” in rebuffing Weinstein’s advances. My thoughts exactly. I felt a sense of empowerment in saying no to these men and their sexual overtures. I applaud the brave women who are coming forward now because they “will never be that girl.”

When I was starting my business, the Hollywood influencer gave me the best piece of advice in understanding the culture of Hollywood: he said, “Wyllisa, this town only cares about winning. Now, how you win is between you and the mirror.” Ironically, this advice came from the same man who asked me to bring a bikini to the business meeting. And I didn’t have to give him a piece of *ss for it.

Comic Seth MacFarlane was aware of Harvey Weinstein’s reputation of sexually harassing women. He made a joke about it while announcing Oscar nominees for Best Supporting Actress in 2013.