If you think things have gotten better in Hollywood for women, think again. A recent Elle magazine article revealed that sexism is alive and well in Tinsel Town. While things certainly have improved over the decades, New York actress Katrina Day is pointing out areas where it still exists — casting notices.
Her Tumblr blog, Lady Parts, calls attention to the posts for actress that are rather insulting in this day and age. She describes the blog as “calling bullshit, cultivating selectivity, and fostering discussion—because ‘female, non-speaking’ won’t work for us.”
From notices like “Female. Non-speaking role. To lay face down on a bed in a pool of fake blood for 2 days. Unpaid.” to “Dream Girl. Female, Caucasian, early 30s, sexy, slender, tall, model,” it’s roles like these that sound like Hollywood is living in the dark ages.
Day gets the posts from big casting agencies and fellow female actresses. She told Elle, “It’s a way for all of us actors to say to each other, I recognize this. You’re not crazy. You’re not making this shit up.”
The 24-year-old emphasizes that some of these posts are of an era gone by since women are winning Oscars for important roles like Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady to Kate Winslet in The Reader.
Day explained, “Sure, there was a time [when] we were limited to looking pretty and smiling at the camera, but that’s not the moment we’re living in now.”
Check out her Lady Parts blog to see if you agree with her assessment.
