Bieber Is Totally Correct And The Reaction To Him Is Totally Sexist

by Unknown 2:34 PM 0 comments hypocrisy sexism street harassment

Recently Justin Bieber made a rant on Snapchat where he talked about selfie etiquette.  In the video he is in the back of a moving vehicle and he is lamenting (sounding quite weary) about the behaviour of his friends asking for personal pictures with him.

"the way you ask or approach me when you want a photo with me is going determine if I take a photo or not."

"If I’m walking somewhere or arriving somewhere and you guys are asking me to take a photo, if I don’t respond, if I continue to keep walking, the likelihood is that I probably don’t want to take a photo at that moment," Bieber tells his fans in the clips. "If you start screaming louder that’s not going to make me want to take a photo more.”

"He continued by saying, "Usually the chances are I’ll take a photo but if perhaps I don’t...please just respect me and just treat me the way you want to be treated."

Wow.  How -dare- he ask for a bit of space and respect for his privacy? The cunt.  Doesn't he know we own him and his time?  J/K.  I can't even joke about that without hating myself a little.

Then the internet promptly lost its shit, decrying Bieber as full of himself if he thinks people want to be around him so much (uh, but they literally do.  That's like...a thing.)

In a news show that I watch daily, The Young Turks, Hannah Cranston criticised Bieber for being "ungrateful" and not having more appreciation for the adoration of his fans when they chase him down the street berating and screaming at him for a photo.

And therein lies the problem.  What Justin Bieber is experiencing is street harassment.  But let's look at street harassment in a slightly different way and I'll see if I can drive the point home...  Have a look at this comic by You're Doing It Wrong by Stevie Wilson where she runs through her internal thought process on street harassment.

The full comic can be viewed here and I highly recommend her work - but this image is the point I want you to focus on.  Robot Hugs - another comic I love intensely - put it really well here as well.

This is a problem of entitlement.  It's about Bieber's fans not only finding him on the street and then feeling entitled to his presence and his attention because they came to see him - his fans actively hunt him down.  After hunting him down and finding him, they appear at his side demanding a photo and a cuddle.  If he's not willing to give it, they scream - he gets abused.  How dare he not give them the attention they're entitled to? How dare he believe that he has a right to privacy? He's a celebrity? We OWN him (*cough*WomenInMen'sSpacesMuch?*cough*)!!  If he didn't want our attention he shouldn't be walking out in public without a disguise! He shouldn't have decided to be famous! He's asking for it.

And when you look at the Snapchat - when you read his words, literally all he is asking for is respect for his personal space.  All he's saying is, "You're not entitled to my time." and he's absolutely 100% correct.  

When you buy his album and listen to it - you are entitled to that.

When you turn up at a concert of his - you are entitled to a performance or a refund of your ticket price if something goes wrong.

But when he (or anyone else) is walking down the street in their private time and you run up to them and begin harassing them - you aren't entitled to shit.  

When you hunt down your doctor and follow him around after business hours demanding he give you an exam during his time off because you paid for his services once - we call that stalking.

You are no more entitled to that selfie from Justin Bieber than you are to a date or a smile from the woman you shouted at.  And when we apply two completely different standards to a man and a woman (Justin Bieber needs to shut up and take a compliment but women being harassed on the street is a problem) - that, my darlings, that's sexism and it's disgusting no matter which gender you perpetuate it against.