Five Women is an audio story that makes me feel a little angry. I am not saying that this audio story is not well done, but the content is too detailed and realistic. It makes me feel sympathy for the women who have experienced sexual harassment in the story.
“He didn’t want to be a boss paying for her work, but a savior paying for her life. Onnesha didn’t want that kind of help.” ( Chana Joffe-Walt, Five Women)
This sentence impressed me very much. Due to the various gender discriminations that still exist globally, some men still do not know how to respect women, and they even define women as sexual “tools.” They think of women simplistically, and they feel that women will be willing to accept everything gained through sexual harassment. Some men always regard their gender as an advantage and put a sense of superiority in front of women. Like saying, “well, as long as you yield to me and satisfy me, I can give you what you want, occupation, money, resources…” This kind of thinking is terrible; the history of men ruling the world is long gone. Modern women are strong. They will use their girls’ power to prove that they can do many things that people once thought only men could do. But it is a pity that not everyone is willing to admit this, and there are still few opportunities for women to develop their skills in today’s society.
“It made me so sick to my stomach. I wasn’t that special. And seeing her kind of brightness and enthusiasm, like, wow, someone wants to give me an opportunity, cool. I was so angry. I was so angry. Oh, God.” (Deanna, Five Women)
I can feel a sense of irony. Don’s behavior is more like a “repeat offender.” He uses the same method to attract different girls to get his own satisfaction. He enjoys the process of women admiring him, working for him, and using sexual harassment to deal with him. For him, as long as he is satisfied, every woman is the same, and his sincerity is not just for a woman. I think women need to protect themselves better, especially after entering the workplace. They need to refuse all unwilling sexual harassment bravely. Don’t let yourself fall into a pseudo-love that cannot let you turn back.
Going back to the whole production, no matter the music, dialogue rhythm, and narration, I think these add color to the story, allowing the listener to enter the whole story world. I also like how the website edits each person’s story into different audio, which gives listeners more choices: listen to the full story or choose the part they want to listen to. The website also prepared a transcript, which allowed me to understand the story better. Overall, I think this is a successful project.
Shiyun Li (Sharon) 