Life

The Acting World Is More Sexist Than You Think

by Nathalie O'Neill

Jan. 9, 2014

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Starting in early 2013, an actress going by the name of Miss L has been publishing lines from sleazy casting calls on her Tumblr Casting Call Woe (a play on the jobs site Casting Call Pro) and on her Twitter account, @ProResting. We knew the world of acting was a sexist one, but it's surprising how sleazy and downright weird it actually gets out there.

Here are a few shockingly sexist gems from Miss L's findings:

"Busty Lab Workers: Two very under-qualified lab workers in cute shoes."

"Male - Comic book nerd. Female - Attractive comic book nerd."

"The actress would have to be comfortable kneeling & having her mouth & hands bound."

"Character Traits - Sexy, Glam, Naughty, Lingerie, Barbie, Bimbo."

"Need some good skimpy outfits that show off your talents."

"Men bring suits, women bring sexy gangster outfits & lingerie."

"The film contains some tasteful allusions to sexual assault."

Holy moly. Personally, I'm torn between Busty Lab Workers and this surprising project: "Evil cult leader who brews a ridiculous potion, then decomposes, giving posthumous birth to Pigman who rises from the goo of her remains."

Some of these listings are from websites that advertise for free, but a lot are actually from sites where actors and actresses pay around £150 annually to view and apply for jobs.

Miss L explained to The Telegraph that she set up her Tumblr as “a way of letting the world know about these casting calls and a way of showing the world a side of the industry that it doesn’t generally see."

Miss L isn't the first to be inspired to take action against the sexism of the acting world. Laura Bates, founder of a website called Everyday Sexism where women can share their experiences, used to work as an actress. She says her project was “partly inspired by the deluge of sexism [she] experienced in the industry."

The Telegraph generated two word clouds from the free websites' listings. The difference between ads for women and men is striking. For women, it's all about their appearance and how they can prop up men:

Men, on the other hand, must seem tough and intelligent — what they look like is more of an afterthought:

So how can we fix this? The problem comes from representation of women in the media, and tighter regulation and legislation is key, say Miss L and Bates. The major casting websites' regulation are pretty lax, and not all posts are verified before going up. With things like "Busty Lab Workers" hitting the listings, it might be time to revise that strategy.

Image: atlanticcape/Flickr