‘We’re absolutely not asking for it’: Emily Atack details vile campaign of online sexual harassment and impact on her and her family on BBC Breakfast
Emily Atack looked in high spirits on Monday as she left BBC Breakfast after detailing her experience of online sexual harrassment.
The actress, 33, appeared on the show to talk about her upcoming BBC documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It?
Emily explained her motivation for campaigning for tougher laws concerning harassment and the impact it has on her and her family’s mental health.
Important topic: Emily Atack looked in high spirits on Monday as she left BBC Breakfast after detailing her experience of online sexual harrassment
She said: ‘We were in lockdown, everyone feeling really isolated and my whole life I had noticed the behaviour that men throw towards me.
‘But I really noticed a surge in sexually violent threats being sent to me on social media.
‘And it was getting worse and worse and I used humous as a way to cope with it and put it out there to say is this normal?’
‘I screenshotted the stuff and I just wanted to see the reaction. It was fascinating to see how huge this problem is.’
Speaking about the vile things she’s been sent, she said: ‘I’ve had things sadly that have happened to me in person too.
Having her say: The actress, 33, appeared on the show to talk about her upcoming BBC documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It?
‘The reason why I say this online abuse is as bad as in the street, is the feeling I get when I’m sent something stirs up the same feelings the same as if it happened in the street.
When someone sends me a message like that, I can delete it but that message has already gone in, I have to go about my day seeing that.
‘People are asking me to wave a blind eye by blocking and deleting. All these behaviours can escalate and become way worse.’
After a clip from the documentary of her mum reading the messages she received on a daily basis, she said: ‘Look at the ripple effect it has on a family. It takes them three seconds to send that me but the aftermath that has on my family and the self-blame of my parents for not protecting me more and me blaming myself for what I put out there. The aftermath is what’s so terrible.
‘Power and control are the two words that keep coming up. The men say we do it because we can. This is systemic, this is behaviour that has been normalized for generations and generations.
‘We talk a lot about toxic masculinity and there’s a lot of pressure growing up to be manly and join in on the banter and they feel a sense of pressure. Men are worried that women are going to laugh at them and women are worried men are going to kill them.’
Emily went on to talk about how she was trying to change the laws around online sexual harrassment.
She said: ‘When I started the process I was looking at the law, I did a talk in Parliament about the mental impact.
‘Looking at the law, tweaking it, would feel a little bit more comforting to know they were taking it seriously.
Aftermath: On the show, Emily explained her motivation for campaigning for tougher laws concerning harassment and the impact it has on her and her family’s mental health.
She added: ‘I still question myself, when I came on a minute ago I was making sure my cleavage wasn’t out too much. We don’t want to give off a vibe we’re flaunting our bodies.
‘I speak about my sex life in my shows, I’m very sexually liberated but this sort of behaviour I’ve leant into, because from a young age its been projected onto me.It’s become a coping mechanism. We’re absolutely not asking for it.’;
Talking on why she had decided to be so open about the abuse, Emily explained it was to help other women.
She said: ‘There’s going to be so many women dealing with this who are scared to say this is happening to them. We’re frightened of speaking out, or having our trauma doubted.
Working hard: Emily went on to talk about how she was trying to change the laws around online sexual harrassment
‘This isn’t about us, we’ve been told what we need to change and I’m sick to death of trying to change myself and I think we all are.
‘We’re tired and we’re saying where is the accountability for this behaviour and crimes?
‘I’m being sent rape texts, penis pictures, it’s happening everyday. We have to start looking at the other side, men and women together not separately.’
Her words come after the actress spoke out about the barrage of explicit messages she receives on a daily basis in the first trailer for her show.
Emily has had to put up with online sexual harrassment since her teens and in the trailer and admitted she is ‘nervous’ about going public with them.
The comedian admitted she sometimes worries if the messages are ‘her fault’ because she shares snaps of herself in bikinis and other revealing clothing online.
In the trailer, Emily says: ‘Every morning when I wake up, I see a man’s penis I haven’t asked to see.’
The former Inbetweeners actress is seen in her kitchen, scrolling through her phone, as she counts the number of messages she’s received.
She says: ‘This morning, I’ve had… Does, I want to see your t**s count?… 37. This man sends me pictures of him doing handstands all the time.
She adds: ‘Eight o’clock this morning, this lovely, big, veiny penis there. That actually did put me off my scrambled eggs to be fair.’
Candid: Emily has had to put up with online sexual harrassment since her teens and in the trailer admitted she is ‘nervous’ about going public with them
Several sexually explicit messages Emily has received online appeared on screen as she can be heard saying: ‘It’s the ultimate disrespect.
‘It’s the ultimate thing of going, ‘I think you’re easy access and you’re up for it.’
‘It was in lockdown when things got really, really bad. I felt sick knowing what I was about to see. And I started to put up these messages on my Instagram.
‘I wanted to know how many other people were receiving them. It made me realise it’s happening to so many people.’
Show: The comedian admitted she sometimes worries if the messages are ‘her fault’ because she shares snaps of herself in bikinis and other revealing clothing online
Emily is then seen speaking to several other women – including a teenage girl – who have been subjected to online sexual harassment.
At the conclusion of the trailer, she says: ‘I want it to stop. It’s about catching these people before they do the worst thing. This is what people have to understand.
‘I’m nervous about going public about all of this because I put bikini photos up on my Instagram. You know, I talk about sex in my shows and I’m very cheeky and flirty.
‘There’ll be people saying, ‘you asked for this negative attention, what do you expect?’ You do sit there and go, ‘is this my fault? Is this something I’m putting out there?’ ‘
Documentary: At the conclusion of the trailer, she says: ‘I want it to stop. It’s about catching these people before they do the worst thing. This is what people have to understand’
In April last year, Emily hit out at her male fans who bombard her with unsolicited pictures of their penises on social media.
The actress said she’s likely to receive ‘about 10 penises I have not asked to see’ before breakfast.
She told the Mirror at the time: ‘If someone sends me a sexually explicit message, I’m like, ‘Why have they said that to me?’
‘It makes you question who you are and why you’re single.’
Speaking about her love life, she also joked: ‘I try and stay away from things that aren’t good for me.’
Emily Atack: Asking For It? airs from January 31 on BBC iPlayer.
Emily said: ‘I wanted to know how many other people were receiving them. It made me realise it’s happening to so many people’
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