Trigger Warning: This newsletter contains language about sexual assault that some readers may find disturbing. This email is part of Not Your Fault, a Teen Vogue campaign that aims to educate people about the epidemic of sexual assault.
Hi friend,
You may have heard about my viral article about sexual harassment at Coachella weekend 1. It was the first time I had ever been to the festival, and since I had recently been groped at a concert I went to, I wanted to investigate if any of the music lovers at Coachella had similar experiences. I thought I would ask 15-20 people if they had ever been harassed at a music event, and every person I talked to ended up telling me they were sexually harassed during this very weekend at Coachella. I kept interviewing people, waiting to find someone who didn’t share the same experience.
After interviewing 54 young women, I found zero exceptions. Everyone had been sexually harassed at weekend 1. Furthermore, while I was reporting this story, I experienced some of the same behavior. This isn’t just a Coachella problem, it’s a music festival culture problem.
If you’ve ever experienced something like this at a music event, I assure you that you are definitely not alone. It is my hope that this story will influence music festivals like Coachella to start actively taking sexual harrassment and assault at their events seriously—so that we can all participate in the fun without feeling like we need to navigate unsafe enviornments.
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