It takes a strong man to defend women's rights - rapper-turned-actor-turned women's rights advocate Ben Bailey Smith
By Magda Mis
LONDON, Nov 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - British rapper-turned-actor Doc Brown has a message for his male fans: stop being weak and stand up for women's rights.
Doc Brown, a rapper and actor currently in the television police drama "Law and Order: UK", is one of a growing band of male celebrities speaking out against sexism - but he has been surprised by a backlash from some of his followers.
Brown, the stage name for Ben Bailey Smith whose sister is novelist Zadie Smith, said he has been accused of "political correctness" for promoting women's rights in standup comedy and for joining women's rights charity The Great Initiative to talk to boys in schools about how to treat women.
"It's scary doing what I've chosen to do," Brown, 36, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview in a cafe in central London, accusing men who make sexist comments of acting out of fear and sexual intimidation.
"Weak men, if (they) don't have any power, (they) go for the most vulnerable," he added, voicing concern that social media had given men who feel threatened by women an outlet for abuse.
Brown, the father of two girls, believes his role in the spotlight gives him the perfect opportunity to get men thinking about the mistreatment of women.
He is just one male celebrity trying to encourage men to take a greater role with actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston earlier this month appearing in photoshoots wearing T-shirts saying "This Is What A Feminist Looks Like".
Figures show that women in Britain earn 80 pence for every pound earned by a man, only make up 35 percent of senior manager roles, and fewer than one in four parliamentarians are female.
Brown, who joined The Great Initiative last year as an ambassador for their "Great Men Value Women" campaign, said he could often connect better with schoolboys than their teachers due to his track record and celebrity status.
Over the years he has risen up through the ranks of battle rapping and stand-up comedy to focus more on acting and is currently the co-star of "Law and Order: UK".
"When you hear (talk about equality) from a teacher, you zone out to it, and an hour later you're still talking about girls the same way," said Brown, who has rapped alongside Lily Allen and the late Amy Winehouse.
"Men right now, in 2014, are abdicating any responsibility and enjoying it,(without) being pulled up on it."
Brown said he was particularly irked by the objectification and treatment of women on social media, which has allowed men to abuse women online anonymously and with impunity.
He hopes lending his voice to women's rights in schools and on stage can help change the way men treat women.
"If I can put a small dent, it's an achievement," he said.
(Reporting By Magdalena Mis, editing by Alisa Tang and Belinda Goldsmith)
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