Sexual Harassment is Not Attractive

In how did I miss this news….

Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno recently told a crowd that women only claim sexual harassment from men they consider ugly, and if a man is attractive, they don’t consider that same behavior harassment.

Specifically, he said men were under threat of being denounced for harassment, and if they’re ugly, they are tormented by women. “That is to say, that the harassment is when it comes from an ugly person. But if the person looks good according to the standards, they tend not to think necessarily that it is harassment.”

Make no mistake, this is part of the patriarchy’s defense of their disgusting behavior, to dismiss the real problem of sexual harassment and violence against women. This statement, partly victimizes men and blames women for some ill conceived idea of ugly men being tormented with claims of harassment, but welcoming the same behavior from attractive men. 

Female activists in Ecuador berated Moreno for his comments, prompting him to apologize in a tweet which read, “In my comment about harassment, I did not intend to minimize such a grave topic as violence or abuses.” He continued, “I apologize if it was understood that way. I reject all forms of violence.”

One female activist Silvia Buendia said machismo is “structural” in Ecuador, as it is in many Latin American countries.

Behavior and character reign supreme over physical features. Sexual harassment isn’t any less of a crime, isn’t any less wrong and isn’t accepted by women if their perpetrator happens to be physically attractive.