An open letter from Lindsay Watson

‘A Letter from our Founder’ Lindsay Watson

Hey – What’s going on?

A reflection on the past 4.5 years…

and a glance towards the future

MeToo: Sexual harassment in the workplace

I started writing this note a few weeks ago, just after the Escape studios event…but since then so much has changed!

While I don’t want the actions of one man to overshadow what should be a celebratory message, I can’t go very far without addressing the prevalent issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. It was the reason I set up Animated Women UK and is the reason I will continue to comment on the topic as there is such a great need for better resources and representation for women.

I, like many women, have been for as long as I can remember. Whether it took place in the playground, at school, in public, in University or beyond it’s a sad truth that according to the Independent over 50% of women have been harassed in the workplace (2017). While forming a network of supportive friends and colleagues is helpful, providing resources for those who need to report and take action against this crime is also important to us:

• For full-time employees, I found this article on ‘How to report sexual harassment’ from Huffington Post quite useful
• This article from Broadly is helpful for freelancers  
• For those traveling to/from work on public transport this from the Independent 
• And for those studying, an educational resource from Universities UK  
• For HR/employers, another great article from the Independent
• And for men this piece from The Guardian

Online; hashtags have been used by many brave women. What next? I’d like to nominate some of the men I’ve met in my career for a ‘Boys Club’ award ceremony; perpetrators of this crime can be named and shamed…but what will stop them committing such acts in the future? Perhaps a ‘Boys Club 2.0’ whereby men stand up to other men they’ve noticed in their industry by confronting their behaviour, thus taking the responsibility solely off of women’s shoulders…petitions, protests; any other ideas?

Let’s not forget that misogyny can be committed by women or self-inflicted. Victim blaming, secrecy and gossip about other women are all behaviours that come under the patriarchal veil of this behaviour.

Action taken in the UK

However, to focus solely on this area would negate some of the powerful work we’ve done over the past 4.5 years. I’d like to highlight that we:

• Represent over 1,250 newsletter subscribers – that’s around 25% of all women working in animation and VFX in the UK!
• We have produced over 34 events
• Have over 90 members
• Continue to plan for the next 3-5 years growth
• Advertise dozens of job ads

With the help of Louise Hussey and the rest of the AWUK board and volunteers we have made huge inroads into raising the profiles of women in our industry, improving working networks, providing mentoring, showcasing women’s work and creating new research.

A huge thanks goes out to the women who without their support on ‘day 1’ none of this would have been possible: Alison Warner, Jocelyn Stevenson, Kate O’Connor and Helen Brunsdon.

We continue to offer to work in collaboration with the BFI (see their new Diversity Standards here), and various other UK events, festivals and conferences to achieve our aims. Get in touch if you haven’t yet!

An ideal situation

As Lisa Simpson once said “Lord Buddha, I know I’m not supposed to want stuff, but come on!” Gender equality shouldn’t be a feminist utopian ideal; it’s a basic human right, but one that we as women are continually fighting to have recognised. In order to create real change, things like positive discrimination policies, further research and start-up IP and business funding for women is essential. Governments must also find new ways to value women’s needs and contributions, then take them seriously. Perhaps if a panel ends up being all-male (a “manel”) one man can give-up his place to a woman expert he knows.

I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished though; starting AWUK has been an epic task and one of the hardest things I’ve done. My personal policies have improved over the years – rather than striving for perfection in my work, I aim to be “good enough” (i.e. as good as any man) and to try not to judge other women too harshly – being compassionate with others and myself. I started Animated Women UK because I was angry, but I used my anger to fuel creative action and produce positive change.

It starts with trusting yourself; if you can do that you can trust others…then you can make decisions, and some of those decisions might even involve an element of risk!

That being said, I find it difficult to find the kind of work that is well paid, stable, encourages female characters/empowerment in animation and supports women’s day-to-day lives. I don’t want to end up another female statistic; having to leave the industry at 35 (un-married, no kids) because I can’t find the work I want. I’m too afraid to ask for investment in my own projects, yet too ambitious to want to spend another 10 years ‘working my way up’ to a position where I get to choose projects. Do I need to forego stability in exchange for creative freedom? Time will tell.

The future…

Never before have women been so educated and connected – we are a global force to be reckoned with. Yet as women in the public eye we deal with so many external negative forces that becoming one remains unappealing for many; our fears, insecurities and self-doubts are encouraged instead. See Mary Beard’s ‘The Public Voice of Women’. This in turn creates circumstances ripe for in-fighting, bullying, separation and isolation…thus keeping us quiet.

True collaboration is about sharing power, decision-making, authority and responsibility. There is an unlimited supply of power for women who choose to create it. There’s a window for change to happen quickly and efficiently. How we react to that is up to us. There’s great stuff happening all around the world and hopefully the momentum will continue.

On that note, Animated Women UK would not exist without thousands of hours of support from our advisors, board members and volunteers. If you would like to get involved please contact us!

Join us!  Become a member of AWUK.