It’s not all glitz and glamour for women in the entertainment industry: they also have more than their fair share of sexism and double standards to deal with. And one actress has used social media to highlight the everyday sexism in the industry.
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An anonymous actress who goes by the username Miss L has created a Twitter account and a Tumblr blog called Casting Call Woes, which she uses to expose the degrading casting calls for women. They include requests like “hot, sexy and busty female actress” and “sexy female legs, back and bum needed for music video.”
Yeah, because why waste your time creating an actual female character when you can get all you really need? pic.twitter.com/tYN6ucymTv
— Miss L (@ProResting) March 15, 2016
Miss L also sheds light on how a woman is often required for a movie for her body only.
*wakes up and thinks about all the changes #IWD2016 must have encouraged*
…oh… pic.twitter.com/IU9bnK7a8z— Miss L (@ProResting) March 9, 2016
Just reading those two casting calls is probably enough to make you hurl, but they are only the tip of the iceberg. While it may be hard to believe that things like this actually exist, Miss L, who told Daily Mail’s FEMAIL that she has been acting professionally for 10 years, revealed that what she posts is very real.
“I do pretty much any acting, from commercials to theatre and everything in between,” she said. “The casting calls come from very widely used casting sites, some that I pay for, and are all sadly very real. People often think that I make them up, and there are days that I wish I did.”
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Miss L reveals the extreme differences between casting calls for men and women, with posts that depict women as sex objects.
Casting: 'He is a robot programmed to kill. She is a sex robot.' Of course.
— Miss L (@ProResting) March 7, 2016
Casting: 'The female character's top is ripped open before she is killed. She has no lines.' oh yay 🎉
— Miss L (@ProResting) March 15, 2016
Yeah, bloody hell, women. What's the matter with you? The poor guy has a reputation to maintain here… pic.twitter.com/VfJt5l7j1i
— Miss L (@ProResting) March 10, 2016
Ageism is also a huge issue, with actresses between the ages of 23 and 30 called to audition for the role of a woman who is “past her prime” and “one middle-aged woman to play a carer. Aged 25- 40.” Um, hello… it’s no longer the 17th century!
The world of casting calls is a dangerous place for women as our life expectancy seems to drop so dramatically… pic.twitter.com/ONI7uwEmVN
— Miss L (@ProResting) January 6, 2016
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Unsurprisingly, people have reacted to these casting calls with shock and horror as they realize that the industry is not even trying to hide their misogyny.
https://twitter.com/allshesurveyed/status/684776896916275204
@ProResting Remind me again Miss L, exactly why good people in you're industry put up with this ? 😮😮
— Gabbar Sinn (@GabbarSinn) March 14, 2016
But it could be always be worse, right? Oh, wait.
@ProResting It could be worse. It could be – no actually you're right, it couldn't.
— Pat Harkin (@dwauctioneer) March 15, 2016
Once again, it’s a reminder of the treatment women face in our society and the slow pace of change they must endure. But Miss L does have some advice for female actors.
During an interview with The Independent‘s Indy100, she wrote, “It’s incredibly difficult when you’re starting out as you just want to work and you don’t want to be viewed as difficult but it’s about going with your instincts because, if something doesn’t feel right, there’s probably a reason for that.”
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