
This rationalisation of “ locker room talk,” or passing off degrading comments as “just words,” has a direct connection to the normalisation-and by extension, prevalence-of sexual violence.Īs psychologist Pamela Paresky put it when describing the phenomenon: “Words are among the basic building blocks that create our reality. Indeed, the incidents all share a common thread: though they happened in private, the attitudes developed in these closed forums could potentially lead to other forms of sexual harassment.Īccording to Marshall University, rape culture is “perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.” The Philippine Commission on Women called the group a “breeding ground for male sexual harassers and predators.” Everyone knows that the reason the Lord gave them mouths is so that they could use them for blowjobs,” one message read.Įarlier that year, Pick-Up Artist (PUA) Academy, a business that coaches men on dating, was exposed for the sexism, lewdness, and objectification inherent in practices like “lay reports,” wherein members shared descriptive stories and photos of their sexual conquests, reportedly without consent in many cases.

In 2018, a fraternity from the University of the Philippines came under fire when it was linked to unverified screenshots of sexist chat threads.


These are just the latest incidents exposing rampant sexism behind closed doors, but they aren’t the first. The Twitter thread went viral and has led to other students from the school to share their own stories of sexism and harassment. She said that her former teacher confided his feelings to her and guilted her into not telling anyone about it. On Wednesday, another netizen came forward with her own story about how one of her male teachers at an all-girls high school regularly sent her inappropriate messages about one of her classmates. That environment of enabling appears to have even trickled into Filipino schools.
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“This uncritical audience of moviegoers, radio listeners, and TV watchers have enabled media personalities like the Tulfo Brothers-known for their machismo and bombastic and abrasive form of doing public service on air-and television networks to cover rape, domestic violence, and other forms violence against women in sensationalised ways,” Angeles said. Textbook victim-blaming insinuations aside, in the tweet, Tulfo referred to Pangilinan as “hija,” or “daughter/girl,” which many read as condescending, prompting Filpino women to reclaim the word, using #HijaAko to share their own experienes of sexual harassment and misogyny.Īs Angeles points out, receptive audiences in the Philippines not only exempt personalities like Tulfo from rebuke, but enable their behavior. In his tweet, Tulfo said “sexy ladies” should be careful with how they dress because they are “inviting the beast.”

The hashtag was born when television and radio host Ben Tulfo tweeted at female Gen Z internet personality Frankie Pangilinan, who had recently spoken out against a police missive urging women to dress modestly. Since its inception just this month, #HijaAko has been calling out this brand of toxic masculinity, while also seeking to shift the blame for harassment and abuse from the survivors to the perpetrators.
