I'd like to point out that although corruption reached astronomical levels after the fall of communism, and although there is still massive corruption here, things have actually improved a lot. The reason why a protest against corruption brought more people to the streets than any other protest since the revolution, is not because corruption is worse than ever, but because we finally have the hope that protesting can make a change. That particular protest actually managed to achieve its short term goal
A neoliberal desperately trying to take the ability for post-socialist peoples to have an opinion on how capitalist oligarchy has actually made things worse. Bro. There's massive support for communism in those countries and wish to return to socialism. Just look at the statistics. Many them have a majority advocate for a return to socialism. This isn't nostalgia either. No ex-slaves wanted to bring back colonialism or feudalism. Just like capitalism, they were brutal oppressive regimes. In fact, there's more support for communism in these countries than there is for the citizens (or shall I say capitalist slaves) in current western capitalist regimes for the current system and leaders. If you really want to see an authoritarian system with mass disapproval, look no further than your local capitalist "democracy." You don't even have the freedom to live if you have no money in capitalism.
@@andrewgodly5739such a good point! I like to think that this truth doesn't take away from some other fair points that this video and its perspective makes, that the host actually referes to Ceaușescu's politics as a "unique brand of communism" with, as i understand it, the underlined implication that socialism and communism are not necessary bad, but just like any other ideal/philosophy/political view, can be used against the people sometimes. I think civilization is very young in the grand skeme of things, and we have much to learn through trial and error, and these are important steps to take for a more inclusive, equitable and peaceful society that imho, cannot ignore the ideals of socialism and freedom. It is also important to add that the last 6 years made a huge difference and it keeps getting better, Romania being in 2023, the second largest eastern European economy after Poland, larger than Hungary, Czech Republic and Greece. We are more accepting of diversity, we are tackling more basic social issues like road safety, equitable taxation, funding for education workers, medical workers, etc. in a way designed to also address the rampant corruption in those systems, which was at least partially caused by the disparity between the social value of that work and the social/financial status of those doing it. All this is possible because of the initial short term success of the protests from 2017/2018 which triggered an (at the time inconceivable) change in our political class, even if small, so that politicians can no longer afford themselves the same outrageous privileges in overcoming the rule of law. All this can only be sustained by continuing to fight back against the current wave of neo fascism, that arose as a response to these big societal changes, as it has throughout Europe.
This reminds me of vice during its hay day. Fantastic reporting. We are all so lucky to have been born in a free country. These girls could have been any one of us.
Free country where? roe v wade was overturned, and they want to make birth control illegal, among other things....we're not a free country, not to mention the many other rights that others have already lost or are going to lose, seems your head is in the clouds or you are absolutely clueless as to what's happening here. We're about to lose our own democracy.
Incredible reporting!! I love how Refinery29's fashion roots are being integrated into so much more about the female experience. Hailey is an excellent reporter, the timing and the questions were so good and I love how many perspectives were discussed. Not to mention, many of the people being interviewed are hard to reach/don't want to be found. Thank you
@@MsEyelinered refinery29 is owned by vice, they probably reposted it on here because refinery's target audience is women and states of undress geared towards women too
From the title I thought this would describe Romania in the 90's... The situation definitely is improved. It's not so dramatic as the documentary presents.
Just because those things don't affect you personally, that doesn't make it any less "dramatic" for the people interviewed in the video and many others just like them 💔
Just because your life is not like this, does not mean that many many other people aren't facing similar problems. You should feel lucky if you don't face such hardships, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't highlight the hardships that many others are still facing.
@@anita4609 It affects pretty much nobody personally, because it's such a small percentage. Shitty things happen everywhere, and it's certainly shitty for the people it happens to. It still doesn't mean it's a large national problem. So yeah, this video is overly dramatic. The reality is Romania is a very safe country, with 5 of it's largest cities (including Bucharest) being among the top safest 100 cities in the world - safer than some Western destinations like Madrid or Amsterdam.
@@cristinac196 I grew up in Romania, I know how "safe" it is.. and saying that it's a small percentage of people, therefore they don't matter and let's not care about them or show their struggles in a video, to not "make the country look bad" sounds pretty messed up.. So many problems could have already been solved, if we focused on solutions, instead of what others would say/think of us if we acknowledge the problem
It's not a well done documentary, it's fully of misinformation and outdated rethoric. She even said Romania joined the EU 10 years ago, thats a total lie and terrible research on her part.
It is really interesting how western journalists when talking about romanian women or the life of a romanian woman never talk about the fact that we have one of the lowest gender pay gap 2%, highest senior executibes and enterpreneur in EU 4/10 being women, 2 from 5 engineers are women, we have 2 years of for maternity leave with 85%salary pay, work 40h/week only country where women work equaly to men.And on top how women generate social programs on top on GDP growth....For the west we are just prostitutes eventhough that is small % of the population, just like in the majority of the countries. And don't get me wrong I have seen plenty of sex traffing documentaries and each time I cry that someone could go through this and I am realizing that this has increased and we went from comunist where women equal to men and having jobs even from 50-60s when other west coubtries did not allow women to have a bank account to capitalism romanian women being prostituted, but I am really sick of this image which is being created of the romanian woman's identity.
Amazing video. Hailey is amazing, compassionate when needed and hilarious when needed. Love her videos!!! I watched a documentary about 10 years ago about all the homeless kids in the streets of Bucharest that were forced to be born to parents that couldn’t or didn’t want to take care of them. It was horrible. This should be a lesson to the politicians trying to force births in America, but alas they don’t even care about kids in the first place.
Whenever I see "documentaries" about a topic I know very well, I doubt all other documentaries I've seen and ideas I got from them. I am 37 and Romanian, my chilhood friends are doctors and lawyers, teachers and whatever else they wanted. Yes, there is corruption still, but it is dying out with the older generation.
On the other hand, most of the people I know have had to give up their dream careers due to corruption and a lack of connections that could get them into the field. I met people with psychology degrees who worked as bartenders because the market is oversaturated and they didn't have the money to open up a private practice, people with teaching degrees who worked in call centers because they didn't have a connection to help them secure a spot in a public school, and the saddest case was that of a friend of mine. Went to school for 6 years to be a veterinarian and ended up working at a meat processing plant because no one would hire her, making about as much money as a cashier. Not that there's anything wrong with being a cashier, but those are years of her life that she will never get back. I also gave up on studying law and becoming a lawyer because I, too, didn't have the money and connections to pass the bar. The fact that you and your loved ones had a positive experience and fulfilled their dreams doesn't mean others aren't struggling and will never get to see their dreams come true. We are *not* given equal chances.
@@Erika-xm2mieverybody is free to study what they love to. What they are doing after their studies and with their degrees is their own business. It's called capitalism.
@@Erika-xm2mi Most of us who do better simply selected better paying fields. Dreams are great, but nobody has an obligation to give you money for YOUR dreams. And it's actually fair - what makes you think you or your friends are entitled to have people work to support you ? Nobody I know had connections or rich parents and most have either well or VERY well paying jobs. Do like we did - study the job market, find something that suits you, even if it's not a dream, accept to start low, be nice and try to stay competitive until you advance. For instance, one of my friends started by distributing flyers and is now in an upper management position at a large company. The pay for flyers was pretty much shit, but she was always punctual and with a smile, even when she didn't feel like it, she became the supervisor etc. For myself, I had dreamt some type of digital artistry, had to admit I was not good enough and reoriented to programming - very cliche, but it pays really well. Just pay attention to the market = what is actually needed, start low, be nice and keep your eyes open for opportunities.
Wow, tears in my eyes. Such a beautiful documentary, thank you for showing this to the world and giving a voice to the people. Watching this with a broken heart, far from home.
This narrative about post communist Romania should start fizzling out not only from a foreign journalistic point of view but also from us as Romanians. The country is no where close to what it used to be economically, socially and cultural. Yes the regime can be still felt or seen in some areas but the society is starting to open up not only to ideas and cultures but also to foreigners. My Italian (non romanian speaking) husband can go anywhere and speak in English with everyone, from the corner-shop seller to Uber driver to.. literally everyone. There are poor people but there are also plenty of rich people and just like in any other European country you can chose on what to focus and what type of experience want to have.
As someone who was born and raised in Bucharest I agree with you partially. This is true for Bucharest and maybe 5 other big cities. But we need to understand that while some of us are more privileged, the realities presented in this documentary still exist across the country, especially in the rural areas. To bring change, we first need to acknowledge our problems.
This documentary was done in 2027. What it is present in this video it isn't the reality then and mist definitely it isn't the reality now. Do we have something to improve, of course we have as any other state but even the Eurostar acknowledges that Romanians are in the second place regarding the well being and way of living compared to all European States.
Pretending it's not happening doesn't make it stop happening. As long as there are poor people, there will be rich people ready to take advantage of them. This has gone on for as long as societies have existed, that's why it's referred to as the oldest profession.
The documentary is from 2017. There have been a LOOOT of changes until 2024 and the economy has been on the rise, although 2020 and the Ukraine war has impacted the economy. Even if the women presented are real and these situations exist, there are a lot of women in IT, Finance, Law, Telecom etc. - a lot of the them in very well paid management or senior positions, with a wealth of work experience, and some of them opening their own businesses.
people in the comments are saying that romania's not a free country. i came back from the usa to romania and i realized that living here is so much better than in the us. freedom-wise. so stop commenting that. take it from a person who has seen both. also this documentary is old and so, so many things have changed since then.
as a Romanian woman , I am very disappointed with this documentary. for the majority of women here, this is not the reality.from the way this was edited to the whole doc showing just the worst aspects of the country. it's obvious Hailey Gates came with a formed opinion, the title is way too generic , just name it "the bad life" next time if that's the only part you want to show.
@@karolinabaker7637 yeah. You'd be surprised to see how many Romanian women nowadays go up on the social-economic ladder and work in world-wide corporations and have manager roles based on their hard work and ambition. I think this is just normal for women/people in developing economies.
@@laetitiaprovian1454 American girls do OnlyFans to supplement their income or ditch their job entirely. One can’t say there aren’t other opportunities in America (including corporate ladder). I’ve lived in both America and poland. It’s always a choice, and that’s fine. My original comment was about the perception of this doc
Yes, increasing according to what? Its a low rate compared to a lot of european countries and its pretty stagnant. I feel safe, and i am saying this also in comparison with other countries i’ve been to
Loved it! I am from Romania and I can say that the documentary painted a rather dark and dramatic Romania. Things aren't as bad and there are possibilities for people with a higher degree or no degree at all(they don't have to start prostituting themselves for a comfortable living). The issues presented appear for people from poor backgrounds who don't have family support. Young women from poor villages and from minorities are usually the target.
Romanian abroad over here. As some of the comments astutely describe, corruption and sub-prime governance are a hallmark of the country. However, calling Romania post-communist is like calling Austria or Hungary post-empire.
In Hungary we call Hungary post-Soviet or post-communist all the time..... when talking about politics, but in a video title like this it would make zero sense. (Also this video is just a mess, it's so condescending.)
@@andij605 I wouldn't go so far as to call the tone condescending. I find the video's structure coherent. Plus, it gives a voice to the voiceless, albeit briefly.
Idk what people are saying about it not being a ‘free’ country (?), i am literally romanian and it’s just an average european country. It’s pretty safe and normal. There is corruption and shit just like in other places, but since we are in the EU, we have waaaaaay more human rights than americans. We have amazing employee rights that spoil us with unlimited sick leave and a lot of vacation time, we have free university studies, we have the right to abortion (which you guys fumbled) etc. I have a pretty easy life tbh Edit: forgot to add good healthcare and free healthcare if you have a job
Yes, we have free abortions, but many of the doctor wont do it because of religious reasons. Actually its kind of hard to find to find a doctor that wants to do it
@@simonafrincu7677 I am not sure what is your experience with abortion in Ro, but I had no problems in doing it. Yes, the doctor asked me to rethink my decision and I thought it was sweet of her. She did not evoke any religious idea. However, when I said that I am 110% sure of my decision we made the plan and before I knew it I was done.
American based lens on matters judge everything on abortion rights. There is little gray area to speak of any positives in a country if women don’t have the right to abortion without any restrictions. Americans love their abortions
@@christinesavinono it explains why they have children marriage and keeping pure young women till their marriage in USA not to become victims of Tate and other traffickers
I think posting this without the disclaimer that it’s old is very misleading to people who watch these during coffee breaks and/or have few reliable sources that actually tell the truth and it’s not just manipulation.As i said in another reply, in 2023 Romania is the second largest eastern European economy after Poland, larger than Hungary, Czech Republic and Greece. We are more accepting of diversity, we are tackling more basic social issues like road safety, equitable taxation, funding for education workers, medical workers, etc. in a way designed to also address the rampant corruption in those systems, which was at least partially caused by the disparity between the social value of that work and the social/financial status of those doing it. All this is possible because of the initial short term success of the protests from 2017/2018 which triggered an (at the time inconceivable) change in our political class, even if small, so that politicians can no longer afford themselves the same outrageous privileges in overcoming the rule of law. All this can only be sustained by continuing to fight back against the current wave of neo fascism, that arose as a response to these big societal changes, as it has throughout Europe. Also, such a complex topic shouldn’t be discussed in such a subjective and superficial manner, the corruption and poverty didn’t just happen and the state of things didn’t develop in a void. After the fall of communism, corruption became the means of survival bc of other countries essentially using their wealth to do a hostile take over of the means of generating wealth that already existed in communism/post communist Romania. This was possible bc the immediate post communist governments introduced a national economy that was fully regulated by the government with a currency that was intentionally devalued, in order to increase the national value of exports to a global capital economy, where the nominal worth of our means of production and resources were criminally undervalued. This process is essentially presented to citizens worldwide as a “cost of transitioning to democracy “ where in actuality, it is a cost to enter in a capitalist global economy, and shift the role of post comunist romanian citizens from producers to consumers. Yes, there is plenty of poverty in Romania, just as there is anywhere in the EU and US, however there is no place in Romania that is even half as bad as the LA strip, Muirhouse and Govanhill in Scotland, the slums of Paris and many others.
Wow. Coming from a (mostly American at this point) Romanian, thank you for such a thorough and insightful look at some problems facing my home country! (Although I really wish you had taken a trip up north to the mountains and forests of Transylvania!) You've earned my sub 😁
@@eedragonr It didn't, that's the result of communism - most of today's leaders have ties to pretty high ranking communist leaders. Almost ALL our prime ministers, for instance, were either themselves high ranking or educated by communists.
A good deal of exaggerations by omission. Bucharest is safer than Amsterdam or Lisbon, for instance. You wouldn't think so watching this. Most people would have no problem visiting Madrid or other cities ... mai cu staif :D, that are actually less safe than Bucharest, but they would think twice about the "Wild East" - which is actually more peaceful and also developing.
I have been in the same school as Andreea Diaconu, we are the same age and nobody has beaten us. There were verbal bullying from the poorer kids, but teachers were amazing. Our school education helped me get into the best high school in the country and now I have 2 master graduations. This video is full of unrealistic info
Although you have a point, it also has only been 34 years and deep societal scar lingers powerfully in all aspects of Romanian culture, doesn't it? Particularly upon the women.
First of all, as many have pointed out, this documentary was made in 2017, and since then a lot of things have significantly improved. Second, it's very clear that this video had an agenda, and the agenda was "point out how hard woman live in Romania". From coming in the worst days of the year, when everything is grey and ugly (even though Romania is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe), to pointing out that "romanian woman have to do videochat to survive", everything is so biased. Just for reference, our issues with human trafficking are nothing compared to the Fentanyl epidemic in the USA for example. In the work front, Romania has no issues with woman in positions of power, in fact my last for managers at work were romanian woman, so was their manager. Romania has had the largest increase in the standards of living out of all 27 EU countries since joining in 2007. We consume more per capita (in PPP) than even countries you could consider rich like Spain or Portugal. In fact Romania has now become a country that imports workforce, instead of only exporting as it was just a few years ago. You will not find a romanian delivering food in Bucurest anymore, all of them are people from Sri Lanka or Nepal.
This just feels a whole lot like poverty porn and the delivery of the story the West expects to hear about Romania. Sure, there are lots of things Romania needs to fix and do better, but so does the UK, for example. Yet, still, the majority of stories about Romania feature Communist blocks and talk about the seven Romanian words for corruption, while videos and media about the UK still focuses on the tea and biscuits, rather than the incredible poverty that exists in many parts of the country, especially the North, and such issues as the crumbling state of the NHS. Time to move on, people.
💯 my thoughts exactly! Notice how only out of touch westerners are praising this poorly made documentary, even going as far as saying they feel lucky they live in a "free" country compared to us, like what 😂 ignorance reaching astronomical levels, notice the subtle arrogance also ugh...
There are more than enough videos on the state of the UK, whether it talks abut crime, poverty, state dissolutionment. I would recommend you check DW, Guardian, Vice and see how many there are.
@@user-nh5ew9ck4z the point with fascism is very valid, it’s happening in Europe as well, but maybe more covertly. Also, this documentary is old, from 2017. Just think of all the things that changed in the US since. Romania is oppressed still, in other ways. If you want to read a little abt my opinion based on experience, look for my other comments here. It really is “poverty porn” bc most people live pretty good lives even compared to the west tbh. If you search for any poor person/area in any country to interview as an anecdotal example, it’s misleading and even deceptive. Even the title of this documentary is intended to create an association between the effects of communism and the poverty porn presented here; this is typical capitalist fascist propaganda intended to associate authoritarian and totalitarian stalinist communism with social systems of governance where people contribute to the welfare and wellbeing of others and in turn, when not if, needed, your own. We have universal healthcare, free higher education that is way better than private, unemployment benefits, small crime rate on the streets (huge in the sheets of politics tho 😂), almost eveyone i ever met can go to the sea side/mountain side at least 2/ year, most ppl go to greece/turkey for the summer holidays, speak at least one other language, have at least one car, are able to afford a budget for entertainment, going out, eating out, regular medical visits, yearly blood tests, dental care, scholarships in high school and university from the state other than the free education, and most foreigners who come here are always shocked by how ok everything and everyone is, bc they expect some horse and carriage sh*t 😂 i think it’s always portrayed in this light bc media has always been a tool for manipulation used by those in power, so they want to make the west feel better abt the fact that those in power are also destroying your countries/economy/resources/systems for the people, so that the people don’t find out how much they are being robbed and instead consider themselves “lucky” to be in “developed “ countries. Don’t get me wrong, Romania is corrupt af as well, but the ratio of poverty to middle class compared to US states, for example, is worse than some and better than most. Our cost of living increase has been significant but you can still find a place to live and put food on the table with a minimum wage, unlike other European cities, like Barcelona, Paris or London, for example. I lived in Paris, have relatives in Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Canada and others, there are ofc differences, and all have benefits and drawbacks, just like Romania. Those of us that move to another country, do so bc they find better paying jobs, but hardly anyone leaves to escape some form of abject poverty they could not otherwise survive. Also, many move back to Romania after studies abroad/working, build a business and thrive. The reality is not even in the same zip code as what is portrayed in this documentary. Hope this helps shed some light on the real state of affairs here.
IIf you want more details about the transition from Communism to Democracy in Romania you can watch the Documentary 30 years of democracy in Romania from Recorder (one of the few good journalists)
Heartbreaking. To hear from that man’s own mouth how he doesn’t hesitate on the idea of abusing women. I wish the country was so lawless that they could’ve offed him after the interview.
They don’t- this is a Vice documentary from 2017; they are reposting it because Vice owns Refinery29. It is strange to me that they’re not making it clear that the videos are now 7 years old, because it undercuts the excellent reporting from Hailey et al
Living in Western Europe and being involved in a small political party (not personally at national level but I do know some members of parliament and I have been on the ballot) this is so baffling. I have a friend who moved from Romania to my country because he wanted to give his daughter a better life. I now truly understand what he meant... At one point he asked me how I got involved in politics and how it is that I can be voted for nationally and I explained to him that it's not so hard, you have to be active in a party and then apply like you would for any job. He said it almost made him cry to see that the process was so open and transparent (at least for most parties) and that this would be unthinkable in his country. This was really well done and really informative, thanks.
Don’t be fooled though lol. None of the protest you see in the video actually happen anymore :) this video aired in 2017. A LOT of things have changed and the documentary is pretty biased in general to say the least
I can say that it is a well-produced documentary with many informative aspects, but it also seems forced and superficial in many ways. Excessive wedding expenses, fashion programs, and many other elements mentioned in the documentary exist today in many countries where communism has never existed. It feels like in order to support the perception desired to be created in the documentary, many connections have been tried to be established without giving any depth and validity. In addition, I would like to say that although countries such as Poland and Romania still experience the effects of communism on a psycho-social level, they are not under an extreme effect as mentioned in the documentary. On the contrary, they quickly adapted to their situation and are developing rapidly.
Just that the witches were from the Roma /Gypsy minority. It is misleading to present the culture of such an excentric minority as the Roma as the culture of Romania. Reinforcing the confusion between Roma and Romanian.
This is a pure example of really bad journalism and only portraying stereotypes and biases. Really disappointed in Refinery29 for sharing this. Despite some of its hardships (which aren't even as bad as they are portraying them here), Romania is a beautiful country and its' actually of the highest growing economies in the EU lately. I encourage everyone seeing this to NOT take it as the absolute truth as it is only shown from a very bad perspective.
I so agree. This is extremely biased and especially when Hailey said ,,if there wasn t corruption in the government here she could be a laywer”… The problem with Romania is the lack of access to qualitative education, not corruption, I am sorry to say that.
@@anastancu4225 women and men will choose the easiest way to make money, it has nothing to do with education, as we see the rise of Only Fans in US, women come form educated, rich and already famous background. It is very bad journalism
I'm Romanian too, but you and I should always keep in mind that the way some of us live in the cities (similary to people in Western Europe) is *not* representative for the whole country. Remember that half of Romania's population lives in rural areas and poverty is widespread even in urban areas. Lack of education is a huge problem, the lack of sex education is a huge problem, as well as sexism and misogyny. We have a long way to go, even if some of us live privileged lifes for Romanian standards.
I feel like this documentary is talking about things that happened some 10-20 years before it was made. It states "10 years after Romania joined EU" which means 2017, yet mail order brides and cam girls? Who researched this? With so many options for good education and job prospects at just a 1hr flight away, no visa required, noone chooses to remain in such situations and they are definitely not a norm. Living in a neighbour country, I know 90s were difficult but I also know that by 2017 things were soooo much better than what this video shows.
I feel like this documentary is now outdated and it does not represent the young romanian woman majority. Not all romanian woman are fashion divas, fashion models/designers, videochat models, forced into rroma marrieageas or human traffic. There are a lot of succesfull romanian women stories. This documentery should need a follow up. I feel like it gives a bad impression or vibe over Romania and there should definetly be some discleimers in the video filmed 7 years ago.
This is just Season 2 Episode 8 of the Viceland show from 2017. Disappointing because I thought it was new. I miss Vice's old content. Balls Deep was also good.
Why don't you say or mention anywhere the year when you filmed the documentary? Which is 2017, not 2023...it makes it very misleading... as well as still propagating stereotypes of "different kind of words for bribery", the only way to survive is to get out the country, that belak starting frames with all the grey weather and the dramatic music...c'mon girl...and interviweing people while prostests where going on of course there is a general mood of dissatisfaction!!! And not having jobs in the country, again c'mon girl!!! Just check the statistics. French, Italians, Portuguese come to work here, as well as Indians, Nepalese, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. We live in a global world of course there is work related migration - of Romanians going in other countries and other people coming here. Very VERY dissapointed of this type of biased journalism that just wants to put some countries in a certain box 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
came here to say the same. This is such a bias perspective... Romania is one of the countries with the highest economical growth from the EU in the last years. Really disappointed with this as I really used to like refinery29, but now I am thinking everything I've seen is just bias...
also i am the same age as the model and i can tell you violence in school and bribes in hospital are not a reality:))))they used to be maybeee in the 90s but i have not experienced this ever and its very uncommon now
Manifestations can't generate competency where it is not. It's even worse. They were not able to put in prison the serial killer who abducted and killed young women.
This is an old documentary full of victim stereotypes. My female relatives and friends in Romania work as medical doctors, teachers, film producers and in other highly educated professions. Nobody needs to become a cam girl. If a woman becomes a sex worker "to drive a Mercedes" instead of learning a profession it says more about her vanity than the state of the government.
It's a very weird material. Giving one way image about things here. Yes, there are lots of problems to deal with here. But filming your figure from behind (like on those stairs at the end) and giving some weirdos thoughts that it's ok to find victims here is not ok. Sorry
This is kinda weird...firstly, the man said people in Romania could not own gold in Ceausescu time: False! Secondly, the woman said she wanted to be a lawyer but the corruption is big and that's why she is doing video chat..seriously?There are many girls who reached prosecutors and judges, from very low family income, from modest backgrounds, how can she say such BS??! Yes, it is hard work and the money is not flowing like in a video chat studio, but getting easy money undressing yourself and being proud of and then saying that you do this because you had no other choice? Pathetic!!
Not to mention Codruța Kovesi,she really did good work. They could say that studying law ( not necessarily finishing the studies) was well known to be the path for some "ambitious ladies" in becoming " journalists" and escorts for the people with wealth and influence but those have been the girls that never intended to study and build a career in the first place.
This is not a good documentary, I’d say it’s quite biased, also this was probably shoot in 2017 so out of date; the events presented are from 2017, a lot of misinformation in my opinion and let’s not make it so that RO is going through issues the rest of the world isn’t facing … does not resonate much to the actuality, maybe 10 yrs back or 20 would have been much accurate; you kinda followed just one line of investigation, poor journalism on your side … why we should always fact check and not trust the media, they present just one storyline
Very nice work, but why did you post it now? It was filmed during the 2017 issues regarding our then leader who was an abuser of power as we expected. It would have had a bigger impact back in 2017.
I don't think this documentary represents the actual truth. Also, what that girl from videochatpointed out that she'd like to become a lawyer but she won't becuse of corruption - let's face it: it''s not like that, it's not real. Becoming a lawyer needs at least 5 years of study and probably low-paid internships. Romania has uncorrupt lawyers in the legal system. If someone chooses the 'easy way' to earn their income they shouldn't blame it on the system. And communist Romania is far off in the past, like 35 years in the past. Also, this video is from 2017, so almost 7 years ago. Things change rapidly here. Come and visit and you'd be amazed that it's pretty much like the other European countries :) plus safer.
That was shameful how Hailey was treated by the panel on Bravo Ai Stil. I'm really glad that the people took to the streets to protest after the show. The rudeness of the judges was awful and they should be taken to Targoviste for their behaviour.
I keep seeing a perpetuation of absurdities towards Romania. It's all pretty sketchy, left more of preconceptions and bad information than of any real study. I don't even know where to start: - the perception of corruption is high in any country, go to the UK and people will not be happy with their own government - Romanian communism did big business with the West, although the sons of the West today have no idea of recent history - present-day Romania is defined not only by the communist period or the revolution, but by the Romanian spirit in general. - regarding the women's portrayal in this article it's simply foolish Considering that this video reportage should be for entertainment purposes only, the historical and sociological part would have been better left out, since it is so superficial. A collage of historical footage does not make a report a veritable investigation. Why didn't you put some flying vampires if you still ended up taking a trip to Romania?! Russian-speaking vampires (ex-communists, right?!) At least then you'd have given a more realistic tone to the whole thing.
I grew up in Bulgaria and I had Roma classmates and friends, sadly only very few graduated high-school, they got married off to someone at 14, 15 and dropped out of school. I admire these Roma women, the wedding dress designer , and the other advocates for Roma women's right, and their resilience and strength, their advocacy for their people. They are so discriminated against and mistreated by the majority of the predominant population. Racism and prejudices are so deeply engrained into the society that people don't think it's a bad thing, it's normal to most. It's good to see that changes are being made, and advocacy and ongoing work is done to make changes.
White subtitle on snow or white floors.... yeah , dont think much thought went in to this , crossing the language barriers . Your going to miss half the content unless you are bilingual English/ Romania.
I'd like to point out that although corruption reached astronomical levels after the fall of communism, and although there is still massive corruption here, things have actually improved a lot. The reason why a protest against corruption brought more people to the streets than any other protest since the revolution, is not because corruption is worse than ever, but because we finally have the hope that protesting can make a change. That particular protest actually managed to achieve its short term goal
I agree. This was filmed in 2017. Looking back, a LOT of things have changed regarding corruption and people's reactions during the last 6 years.
Yes, a lot has changed since 2017. Corruption is back and there are no options for the next year elections. Good luck! 😂
Thank you for adding more perspective!
A neoliberal desperately trying to take the ability for post-socialist peoples to have an opinion on how capitalist oligarchy has actually made things worse. Bro. There's massive support for communism in those countries and wish to return to socialism. Just look at the statistics. Many them have a majority advocate for a return to socialism. This isn't nostalgia either. No ex-slaves wanted to bring back colonialism or feudalism. Just like capitalism, they were brutal oppressive regimes. In fact, there's more support for communism in these countries than there is for the citizens (or shall I say capitalist slaves) in current western capitalist regimes for the current system and leaders. If you really want to see an authoritarian system with mass disapproval, look no further than your local capitalist "democracy." You don't even have the freedom to live if you have no money in capitalism.
@@andrewgodly5739such a good point! I like to think that this truth doesn't take away from some other fair points that this video and its perspective makes, that the host actually referes to Ceaușescu's politics as a "unique brand of communism" with, as i understand it, the underlined implication that socialism and communism are not necessary bad, but just like any other ideal/philosophy/political view, can be used against the people sometimes. I think civilization is very young in the grand skeme of things, and we have much to learn through trial and error, and these are important steps to take for a more inclusive, equitable and peaceful society that imho, cannot ignore the ideals of socialism and freedom. It is also important to add that the last 6 years made a huge difference and it keeps getting better, Romania being in 2023, the second largest eastern European economy after Poland, larger than Hungary, Czech Republic and Greece. We are more accepting of diversity, we are tackling more basic social issues like road safety, equitable taxation, funding for education workers, medical workers, etc. in a way designed to also address the rampant corruption in those systems, which was at least partially caused by the disparity between the social value of that work and the social/financial status of those doing it. All this is possible because of the initial short term success of the protests from 2017/2018 which triggered an (at the time inconceivable) change in our political class, even if small, so that politicians can no longer afford themselves the same outrageous privileges in overcoming the rule of law. All this can only be sustained by continuing to fight back against the current wave of neo fascism, that arose as a response to these big societal changes, as it has throughout Europe.
This reminds me of vice during its hay day. Fantastic reporting. We are all so lucky to have been born in a free country. These girls could have been any one of us.
Free country? You guys just overturned roe v wade. As a romanian woman I would advise you to not take that lightly
It was originally published by vice!
Girl do you not have any critical thinking skills? This is YOU.
@@tooktoomuch116Wait just published or also produced by vice?
Free country where? roe v wade was overturned, and they want to make birth control illegal, among other things....we're not a free country, not to mention the many other rights that others have already lost or are going to lose, seems your head is in the clouds or you are absolutely clueless as to what's happening here. We're about to lose our own democracy.
The documentary is from 2017. Things have improved.
Incredible reporting!! I love how Refinery29's fashion roots are being integrated into so much more about the female experience. Hailey is an excellent reporter, the timing and the questions were so good and I love how many perspectives were discussed. Not to mention, many of the people being interviewed are hard to reach/don't want to be found. Thank you
Refinery29 didn’t make this, vice did. Idk why they’re reposting it
Please keep in mind that this is from 2017, things changed A LOT, and i find it a little misleading to be posted without this disclaimer.
@@MsEyelinered refinery29 is owned by vice, they probably reposted it on here because refinery's target audience is women and states of undress geared towards women too
From the title I thought this would describe Romania in the 90's... The situation definitely is improved. It's not so dramatic as the documentary presents.
Just because those things don't affect you personally, that doesn't make it any less "dramatic" for the people interviewed in the video and many others just like them 💔
Just because your life is not like this, does not mean that many many other people aren't facing similar problems. You should feel lucky if you don't face such hardships, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't highlight the hardships that many others are still facing.
Regarding the freedom of the criminality is the worst
@@anita4609 It affects pretty much nobody personally, because it's such a small percentage. Shitty things happen everywhere, and it's certainly shitty for the people it happens to. It still doesn't mean it's a large national problem. So yeah, this video is overly dramatic. The reality is Romania is a very safe country, with 5 of it's largest cities (including Bucharest) being among the top safest 100 cities in the world - safer than some Western destinations like Madrid or Amsterdam.
@@cristinac196 I grew up in Romania, I know how "safe" it is.. and saying that it's a small percentage of people, therefore they don't matter and let's not care about them or show their struggles in a video, to not "make the country look bad" sounds pretty messed up.. So many problems could have already been solved, if we focused on solutions, instead of what others would say/think of us if we acknowledge the problem
That final shot of the crowd organized into the Romanian flag colors gave me goosebumps. What a well done documentary.
Wow. I am speechless. What a well done documentary. The girl’s story at the end was very sad. I hope she is safe and doing better today.
It's not a well done documentary, it's fully of misinformation and outdated rethoric. She even said Romania joined the EU 10 years ago, thats a total lie and terrible research on her part.
Honestly, what the hell is wrong with this country...
i love Bucharest, lived there for a year, the best most down to earth welcoming people
It is really interesting how western journalists when talking about romanian women or the life of a romanian woman never talk about the fact that we have one of the lowest gender pay gap 2%, highest senior executibes and enterpreneur in EU 4/10 being women, 2 from 5 engineers are women, we have 2 years of for maternity leave with 85%salary pay, work 40h/week only country where women work equaly to men.And on top how women generate social programs on top on GDP growth....For the west we are just prostitutes eventhough that is small % of the population, just like in the majority of the countries.
And don't get me wrong I have seen plenty of sex traffing documentaries and each time I cry that someone could go through this and I am realizing that this has increased and we went from comunist where women equal to men and having jobs even from 50-60s when other west coubtries did not allow women to have a bank account to capitalism romanian women being prostituted, but I am really sick of this image which is being created of the romanian woman's identity.
It can be even worse as they have children trafficking. And only hiding and lying about many things
CORRECTION: the caption at 26:33 should say boier (or boyar in other Eastern European countries), not _buyers_
Amazing video. Hailey is amazing, compassionate when needed and hilarious when needed. Love her videos!!! I watched a documentary about 10 years ago about all the homeless kids in the streets of Bucharest that were forced to be born to parents that couldn’t or didn’t want to take care of them. It was horrible. This should be a lesson to the politicians trying to force births in America, but alas they don’t even care about kids in the first place.
Hailey, what a great report! This was entertaining but also educating. And you've asked the right questions. Thank you!
I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth and depth of this documentary. The presenter was excellent. Nicely done Refinery
Whenever I see "documentaries" about a topic I know very well, I doubt all other documentaries I've seen and ideas I got from them. I am 37 and Romanian, my chilhood friends are doctors and lawyers, teachers and whatever else they wanted. Yes, there is corruption still, but it is dying out with the older generation.
On the other hand, most of the people I know have had to give up their dream careers due to corruption and a lack of connections that could get them into the field. I met people with psychology degrees who worked as bartenders because the market is oversaturated and they didn't have the money to open up a private practice, people with teaching degrees who worked in call centers because they didn't have a connection to help them secure a spot in a public school, and the saddest case was that of a friend of mine. Went to school for 6 years to be a veterinarian and ended up working at a meat processing plant because no one would hire her, making about as much money as a cashier. Not that there's anything wrong with being a cashier, but those are years of her life that she will never get back.
I also gave up on studying law and becoming a lawyer because I, too, didn't have the money and connections to pass the bar.
The fact that you and your loved ones had a positive experience and fulfilled their dreams doesn't mean others aren't struggling and will never get to see their dreams come true. We are *not* given equal chances.
@@Erika-xm2mieverybody is free to study what they love to. What they are doing after their studies and with their degrees is their own business. It's called capitalism.
@@Erika-xm2mi Most of us who do better simply selected better paying fields. Dreams are great, but nobody has an obligation to give you money for YOUR dreams. And it's actually fair - what makes you think you or your friends are entitled to have people work to support you ?
Nobody I know had connections or rich parents and most have either well or VERY well paying jobs. Do like we did - study the job market, find something that suits you, even if it's not a dream, accept to start low, be nice and try to stay competitive until you advance.
For instance, one of my friends started by distributing flyers and is now in an upper management position at a large company. The pay for flyers was pretty much shit, but she was always punctual and with a smile, even when she didn't feel like it, she became the supervisor etc. For myself, I had dreamt some type of digital artistry, had to admit I was not good enough and reoriented to programming - very cliche, but it pays really well.
Just pay attention to the market = what is actually needed, start low, be nice and keep your eyes open for opportunities.
Wow, tears in my eyes. Such a beautiful documentary, thank you for showing this to the world and giving a voice to the people. Watching this with a broken heart, far from home.
This narrative about post communist Romania should start fizzling out not only from a foreign journalistic point of view but also from us as Romanians. The country is no where close to what it used to be economically, socially and cultural. Yes the regime can be still felt or seen in some areas but the society is starting to open up not only to ideas and cultures but also to foreigners. My Italian (non romanian speaking) husband can go anywhere and speak in English with everyone, from the corner-shop seller to Uber driver to.. literally everyone. There are poor people but there are also plenty of rich people and just like in any other European country you can chose on what to focus and what type of experience want to have.
As someone who was born and raised in Bucharest I agree with you partially. This is true for Bucharest and maybe 5 other big cities. But we need to understand that while some of us are more privileged, the realities presented in this documentary still exist across the country, especially in the rural areas. To bring change, we first need to acknowledge our problems.
This documentary was done in 2027. What it is present in this video it isn't the reality then and mist definitely it isn't the reality now.
Do we have something to improve, of course we have as any other state but even the Eurostar acknowledges that Romanians are in the second place regarding the well being and way of living compared to all European States.
@@elenabob4953 2027 wow, a time traveler (joke, I guess it is 2017)
Pretending it's not happening doesn't make it stop happening. As long as there are poor people, there will be rich people ready to take advantage of them. This has gone on for as long as societies have existed, that's why it's referred to as the oldest profession.
I wonder if all the poor women looking at marriage as a way out would agree with you...
Those are the types of documentaries we need, documentaries about women and their lives all over the world.
The documentary is from 2017. There have been a LOOOT of changes until 2024 and the economy has been on the rise, although 2020 and the Ukraine war has impacted the economy.
Even if the women presented are real and these situations exist, there are a lot of women in IT, Finance, Law, Telecom etc. - a lot of the them in very well paid management or senior positions, with a wealth of work experience, and some of them opening their own businesses.
I am sorry but this is an example of very bad and superficial journalism.
people in the comments are saying that romania's not a free country. i came back from the usa to romania and i realized that living here is so much better than in the us. freedom-wise. so stop commenting that. take it from a person who has seen both. also this documentary is old and so, so many things have changed since then.
I love Hailey’s fashion and culture reports! Thanks for keeping it up.
as a Romanian woman , I am very disappointed with this documentary. for the majority of women here, this is not the reality.from the way this was edited to the whole doc showing just the worst aspects of the country. it's obvious Hailey Gates came with a formed opinion, the title is way too generic , just name it "the bad life" next time if that's the only part you want to show.
I agree with you. She is seeking out aspects of the lifestyle to fuel her narrative that women are “oppressed and exploited”
@@karolinabaker7637 yeah. You'd be surprised to see how many Romanian women nowadays go up on the social-economic ladder and work in world-wide corporations and have manager roles based on their hard work and ambition. I think this is just normal for women/people in developing economies.
@@laetitiaprovian1454 American girls do OnlyFans to supplement their income or ditch their job entirely. One can’t say there aren’t other opportunities in America (including corporate ladder).
I’ve lived in both America and poland. It’s always a choice, and that’s fine. My original comment was about the perception of this doc
Are you denying the increasing violent criminality there?
Yes, increasing according to what? Its a low rate compared to a lot of european countries and its pretty stagnant. I feel safe, and i am saying this also in comparison with other countries i’ve been to
Loved it! I am from Romania and I can say that the documentary painted a rather dark and dramatic Romania. Things aren't as bad and there are possibilities for people with a higher degree or no degree at all(they don't have to start prostituting themselves for a comfortable living). The issues presented appear for people from poor backgrounds who don't have family support. Young women from poor villages and from minorities are usually the target.
They don't have to do it but there are women who like to do it
Like her mother apparently
girl whoever out put u in that outfit was like..... purposefully not helping so that people would be like oh shes chill
Romanian abroad over here. As some of the comments astutely describe, corruption and sub-prime governance are a hallmark of the country. However, calling Romania post-communist is like calling Austria or Hungary post-empire.
In Hungary we call Hungary post-Soviet or post-communist all the time..... when talking about politics, but in a video title like this it would make zero sense. (Also this video is just a mess, it's so condescending.)
@@andij605 I wouldn't go so far as to call the tone condescending.
I find the video's structure coherent. Plus, it gives a voice to the voiceless, albeit briefly.
@@vladlimbean6499voiceless are the girls who got killed
@@andij605they are lying much more than the Hungarians
Idk what people are saying about it not being a ‘free’ country (?), i am literally romanian and it’s just an average european country. It’s pretty safe and normal. There is corruption and shit just like in other places, but since we are in the EU, we have waaaaaay more human rights than americans. We have amazing employee rights that spoil us with unlimited sick leave and a lot of vacation time, we have free university studies, we have the right to abortion (which you guys fumbled) etc. I have a pretty easy life tbh
Edit: forgot to add good healthcare and free healthcare if you have a job
Yes, we have free abortions, but many of the doctor wont do it because of religious reasons. Actually its kind of hard to find to find a doctor that wants to do it
The past of Chacesch in Romania IS the future of America! Trump way!
I'd love to go there! How is cost of living? Rent and food, etc?
@@simonafrincu7677 I am not sure what is your experience with abortion in Ro, but I had no problems in doing it. Yes, the doctor asked me to rethink my decision and I thought it was sweet of her. She did not evoke any religious idea. However, when I said that I am 110% sure of my decision we made the plan and before I knew it I was done.
American based lens on matters judge everything on abortion rights. There is little gray area to speak of any positives in a country if women don’t have the right to abortion without any restrictions. Americans love their abortions
This was very interesting to watch. Hailey is a great reporter! Please do more for another country like Bulgaria for example.
It was superficial and untrue
@@elenabob4953 not it wasn't, it was on point.
@@christinesavinono it explains why they have children marriage and keeping pure young women till their marriage in USA not to become victims of Tate and other traffickers
This series is incredible.
I think posting this without the disclaimer that it’s old is very misleading to people who watch these during coffee breaks and/or have few reliable sources that actually tell the truth and it’s not just manipulation.As i said in another reply, in 2023 Romania is the second largest eastern European economy after Poland, larger than Hungary, Czech Republic and Greece. We are more accepting of diversity, we are tackling more basic social issues like road safety, equitable taxation, funding for education workers, medical workers, etc. in a way designed to also address the rampant corruption in those systems, which was at least partially caused by the disparity between the social value of that work and the social/financial status of those doing it. All this is possible because of the initial short term success of the protests from 2017/2018 which triggered an (at the time inconceivable) change in our political class, even if small, so that politicians can no longer afford themselves the same outrageous privileges in overcoming the rule of law. All this can only be sustained by continuing to fight back against the current wave of neo fascism, that arose as a response to these big societal changes, as it has throughout Europe.
Also, such a complex topic shouldn’t be discussed in such a subjective and superficial manner, the corruption and poverty didn’t just happen and the state of things didn’t develop in a void. After the fall of communism, corruption became the means of survival bc of other countries essentially using their wealth to do a hostile take over of the means of generating wealth that already existed in communism/post communist Romania. This was possible bc the immediate post communist governments introduced a national economy that was fully regulated by the government with a currency that was intentionally devalued, in order to increase the national value of exports to a global capital economy, where the nominal worth of our means of production and resources were criminally undervalued. This process is essentially presented to citizens worldwide as a “cost of transitioning to democracy “ where in actuality, it is a cost to enter in a capitalist global economy, and shift the role of post comunist romanian citizens from producers to consumers.
Yes, there is plenty of poverty in Romania, just as there is anywhere in the EU and US, however there is no place in Romania that is even half as bad as the LA strip, Muirhouse and Govanhill in Scotland, the slums of Paris and many others.
Everything was just a mockery
thank you for providing this context - it is important to understand that, like you said, none of those issues developed overnight
You like die versity? lol!
@@gorillaglue7232 yeah, guys with 🍑 on OF included! maybe just less haters and idiots, but that seems like a personal preference 😂
Wow. Coming from a (mostly American at this point) Romanian, thank you for such a thorough and insightful look at some problems facing my home country! (Although I really wish you had taken a trip up north to the mountains and forests of Transylvania!)
You've earned my sub 😁
Wondering why America is exporting such problems?
@@eedragonr It didn't, that's the result of communism - most of today's leaders have ties to pretty high ranking communist leaders. Almost ALL our prime ministers, for instance, were either themselves high ranking or educated by communists.
A good deal of exaggerations by omission. Bucharest is safer than Amsterdam or Lisbon, for instance. You wouldn't think so watching this. Most people would have no problem visiting Madrid or other cities ... mai cu staif :D, that are actually less safe than Bucharest, but they would think twice about the "Wild East" - which is actually more peaceful and also developing.
@@cristinac196 yeah I mean the stigma associated with post-Warsaw Pact countries/eastern Europe is hard to get away from, for sure
I have been in the same school as Andreea Diaconu, we are the same age and nobody has beaten us. There were verbal bullying from the poorer kids, but teachers were amazing. Our school education helped me get into the best high school in the country and now I have 2 master graduations. This video is full of unrealistic info
You are lucky. The things kept degrading. At the level of the teachers. You are lying if you are not informed about what is real happening there.
Calling modern Romania “post-communist” is like calling modern Germany “post-nazist”. It’s been 34 years already, my gosh.
Although you have a point, it also has only been 34 years and deep societal scar lingers powerfully in all aspects of Romanian culture, doesn't it? Particularly upon the women.
Sure, but Germany had Nurnberg trials that purged most of the nazi, whilst some other nazi fled to Argentina.
Romania has only ex-communists in power.
Fun fact, Germany was communist too
I know, I think so too
only 34 years
First of all, as many have pointed out, this documentary was made in 2017, and since then a lot of things have significantly improved. Second, it's very clear that this video had an agenda, and the agenda was "point out how hard woman live in Romania". From coming in the worst days of the year, when everything is grey and ugly (even though Romania is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe), to pointing out that "romanian woman have to do videochat to survive", everything is so biased.
Just for reference, our issues with human trafficking are nothing compared to the Fentanyl epidemic in the USA for example.
In the work front, Romania has no issues with woman in positions of power, in fact my last for managers at work were romanian woman, so was their manager.
Romania has had the largest increase in the standards of living out of all 27 EU countries since joining in 2007.
We consume more per capita (in PPP) than even countries you could consider rich like Spain or Portugal.
In fact Romania has now become a country that imports workforce, instead of only exporting as it was just a few years ago.
You will not find a romanian delivering food in Bucurest anymore, all of them are people from Sri Lanka or Nepal.
They obviously don't have access to the industrial and corporate world.
Roma in Romania are not an ethnic minority but colonizers.
The video should state more clearly that it is dated in 2017...
Great documentary!! I’m also shocked at some of the similarities to Italian, I never realized how close Romanian sounds.
We only share about 70% root words with italians... because our language is latin.
Someone described Romanian language as Italian, but with a slavic accent.
@@aiardeleanDon’t u ever say that in front of a romanian omg 😭
Romanian does not sound as blunt as slavic accent like at all.
@@moonjun96 I agree, I'm a Romanian living in Italy and I've heard Ukrainians speak Italian. They don't sound Romanian at all.
@@moonjun96Sure
Respect from Hungary to Romania.
There is no respect for any of you SS Nazi puppets who killed 10 million Ukrainians in WWII
Yes it is worse but at least did not have to resign
This just feels a whole lot like poverty porn and the delivery of the story the West expects to hear about Romania. Sure, there are lots of things Romania needs to fix and do better, but so does the UK, for example. Yet, still, the majority of stories about Romania feature Communist blocks and talk about the seven Romanian words for corruption, while videos and media about the UK still focuses on the tea and biscuits, rather than the incredible poverty that exists in many parts of the country, especially the North, and such issues as the crumbling state of the NHS. Time to move on, people.
💯 my thoughts exactly! Notice how only out of touch westerners are praising this poorly made documentary, even going as far as saying they feel lucky they live in a "free" country compared to us, like what 😂 ignorance reaching astronomical levels, notice the subtle arrogance also ugh...
👏👏👏yes!
Agreed
There are more than enough videos on the state of the UK, whether it talks abut crime, poverty, state dissolutionment. I would recommend you check DW, Guardian, Vice and see how many there are.
@@user-nh5ew9ck4z the point with fascism is very valid, it’s happening in Europe as well, but maybe more covertly. Also, this documentary is old, from 2017. Just think of all the things that changed in the US since. Romania is oppressed still, in other ways. If you want to read a little abt my opinion based on experience, look for my other comments here. It really is “poverty porn” bc most people live pretty good lives even compared to the west tbh. If you search for any poor person/area in any country to interview as an anecdotal example, it’s misleading and even deceptive. Even the title of this documentary is intended to create an association between the effects of communism and the poverty porn presented here; this is typical capitalist fascist propaganda intended to associate authoritarian and totalitarian stalinist communism with social systems of governance where people contribute to the welfare and wellbeing of others and in turn, when not if, needed, your own. We have universal healthcare, free higher education that is way better than private, unemployment benefits, small crime rate on the streets (huge in the sheets of politics tho 😂), almost eveyone i ever met can go to the sea side/mountain side at least 2/ year, most ppl go to greece/turkey for the summer holidays, speak at least one other language, have at least one car, are able to afford a budget for entertainment, going out, eating out, regular medical visits, yearly blood tests, dental care, scholarships in high school and university from the state other than the free education, and most foreigners who come here are always shocked by how ok everything and everyone is, bc they expect some horse and carriage sh*t 😂 i think it’s always portrayed in this light bc media has always been a tool for manipulation used by those in power, so they want to make the west feel better abt the fact that those in power are also destroying your countries/economy/resources/systems for the people, so that the people don’t find out how much they are being robbed and instead consider themselves “lucky” to be in “developed “ countries. Don’t get me wrong, Romania is corrupt af as well, but the ratio of poverty to middle class compared to US states, for example, is worse than some and better than most. Our cost of living increase has been significant but you can still find a place to live and put food on the table with a minimum wage, unlike other European cities, like Barcelona, Paris or London, for example. I lived in Paris, have relatives in Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Canada and others, there are ofc differences, and all have benefits and drawbacks, just like Romania. Those of us that move to another country, do so bc they find better paying jobs, but hardly anyone leaves to escape some form of abject poverty they could not otherwise survive. Also, many move back to Romania after studies abroad/working, build a business and thrive. The reality is not even in the same zip code as what is portrayed in this documentary. Hope this helps shed some light on the real state of affairs here.
i need a historical focused version of this- so intresting.
IIf you want more details about the transition from Communism to Democracy in Romania you can watch the Documentary 30 years of democracy in Romania from Recorder (one of the few good journalists)
I doubt you will tap that knowledge vault on this program
Heartbreaking. To hear from that man’s own mouth how he doesn’t hesitate on the idea of abusing women. I wish the country was so lawless that they could’ve offed him after the interview.
Is that happening in your own country?
This was such an amazing documentary! I learned so much from the Romanian people and their struggles. Thank you
Incredible documentary, I'm waiting for one like this for as many countries as possible! This isn't just journalism, this is advocacy!
Hailey, what a sweet angel! She dressed down on purpose, to let another girl win the Style competition.
This is VERY cool. I did not know refinery makes videos like this. Great job!
They don’t- this is a Vice documentary from 2017; they are reposting it because Vice owns Refinery29. It is strange to me that they’re not making it clear that the videos are now 7 years old, because it undercuts the excellent reporting from Hailey et al
Does not matter where you were born. "To be educated means to be free".
Living in Western Europe and being involved in a small political party (not personally at national level but I do know some members of parliament and I have been on the ballot) this is so baffling. I have a friend who moved from Romania to my country because he wanted to give his daughter a better life. I now truly understand what he meant...
At one point he asked me how I got involved in politics and how it is that I can be voted for nationally and I explained to him that it's not so hard, you have to be active in a party and then apply like you would for any job. He said it almost made him cry to see that the process was so open and transparent (at least for most parties) and that this would be unthinkable in his country. This was really well done and really informative, thanks.
life is good here:))))))we are doing very well thank you.this documentary is veryyyyyyy biased.
Don’t be fooled though lol. None of the protest you see in the video actually happen anymore :) this video aired in 2017. A LOT of things have changed and the documentary is pretty biased in general to say the least
I can say that it is a well-produced documentary with many informative aspects, but it also seems forced and superficial in many ways. Excessive wedding expenses, fashion programs, and many other elements mentioned in the documentary exist today in many countries where communism has never existed. It feels like in order to support the perception desired to be created in the documentary, many connections have been tried to be established without giving any depth and validity. In addition, I would like to say that although countries such as Poland and Romania still experience the effects of communism on a psycho-social level, they are not under an extreme effect as mentioned in the documentary. On the contrary, they quickly adapted to their situation and are developing rapidly.
Gathering information while lying and hiding the truth of their own society.
Was this recorded in 2017? She mentioned Romania joined the EU 10 years ago, did she mean 15 years?
I really loved the reportage by the way.
The protests that she is showing happened in 2018
yeah in the description it says it aired in 2017
Don't you love the result of the keys for free?
I missed this kind of Content from Refinery !! Still remember the doc about Romanian witches !
Just that the witches were from the Roma /Gypsy minority. It is misleading to present the culture of such an excentric minority as the Roma as the culture of Romania. Reinforcing the confusion between Roma and Romanian.
This is a pure example of really bad journalism and only portraying stereotypes and biases. Really disappointed in Refinery29 for sharing this. Despite some of its hardships (which aren't even as bad as they are portraying them here), Romania is a beautiful country and its' actually of the highest growing economies in the EU lately. I encourage everyone seeing this to NOT take it as the absolute truth as it is only shown from a very bad perspective.
I so agree. This is extremely biased and especially when Hailey said ,,if there wasn t corruption in the government here she could be a laywer”… The problem with Romania is the lack of access to qualitative education, not corruption, I am sorry to say that.
@@anastancu4225 women and men will choose the easiest way to make money, it has nothing to do with education, as we see the rise of Only Fans in US, women come form educated, rich and already famous background. It is very bad journalism
I'm Romanian too, but you and I should always keep in mind that the way some of us live in the cities (similary to people in Western Europe) is *not* representative for the whole country. Remember that half of Romania's population lives in rural areas and poverty is widespread even in urban areas. Lack of education is a huge problem, the lack of sex education is a huge problem, as well as sexism and misogyny. We have a long way to go, even if some of us live privileged lifes for Romanian standards.
@@ismt9390and this is an excuse to legalize it in the West?
@@eedragonrTo legalize what? Sex education?
Things have changed a lot since I visited Romania in 1985.
Love this type of reporting - thank you!
I love these women centric documentaries. Thank you.
I feel like this documentary is talking about things that happened some 10-20 years before it was made. It states "10 years after Romania joined EU" which means 2017, yet mail order brides and cam girls? Who researched this? With so many options for good education and job prospects at just a 1hr flight away, no visa required, noone chooses to remain in such situations and they are definitely not a norm. Living in a neighbour country, I know 90s were difficult but I also know that by 2017 things were soooo much better than what this video shows.
Well done for the daughter of a pimp
I think that they believe that promiscuity means inclusion. By the boyars eventually
I feel like this documentary is now outdated and it does not represent the young romanian woman majority. Not all romanian woman are fashion divas, fashion models/designers, videochat models, forced into rroma marrieageas or human traffic. There are a lot of succesfull romanian women stories. This documentery should need a follow up. I feel like it gives a bad impression or vibe over Romania and there should definetly be some discleimers in the video filmed 7 years ago.
Amazing documentary, TY
I've worked with many romanian people as my company has a big office in Bucharest, really enjoyed working with them
We presume they deserve to be paid much less than you
This happened like 5 years ago or more.
i used to watch this series all the time omg, so glad they’re continuing it
They’re not, this video is from 2017. I wish they would continue it 😢
How is 15 years nearly a “quarter of a century?”
Thanks for opening my eyes to the romanian culture
Flawless Journalism. Thank you
This is just Season 2 Episode 8 of the Viceland show from 2017. Disappointing because I thought it was new. I miss Vice's old content. Balls Deep was also good.
Why don't you say or mention anywhere the year when you filmed the documentary? Which is 2017, not 2023...it makes it very misleading... as well as still propagating stereotypes of "different kind of words for bribery", the only way to survive is to get out the country, that belak starting frames with all the grey weather and the dramatic music...c'mon girl...and interviweing people while prostests where going on of course there is a general mood of dissatisfaction!!! And not having jobs in the country, again c'mon girl!!! Just check the statistics. French, Italians, Portuguese come to work here, as well as Indians, Nepalese, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. We live in a global world of course there is work related migration - of Romanians going in other countries and other people coming here. Very VERY dissapointed of this type of biased journalism that just wants to put some countries in a certain box 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
came here to say the same. This is such a bias perspective... Romania is one of the countries with the highest economical growth from the EU in the last years. Really disappointed with this as I really used to like refinery29, but now I am thinking everything I've seen is just bias...
Yeah I stopped watching this also
I have so much admiration for all the women in this documentary. ❤ thank you for giving them a way to tell their story.
What I learned from this doc; under communism there was less vanity and better life conditions and corruption.
life is good here in romania...this documentary makes us seem like a third world country.we are not.also the big protest was 3 years ago,not now
also i am the same age as the model and i can tell you violence in school and bribes in hospital are not a reality:))))they used to be maybeee in the 90s but i have not experienced this ever and its very uncommon now
@@deeabanu6443 are you actually living in Romania? Bribes in hospitals still exists even in Bucharest
bribes in hospitals are EVERYDAY!!! I am Romanian, I live there, I see it with my own eyes!
Manifestations can't generate competency where it is not. It's even worse. They were not able to put in prison the serial killer who abducted and killed young women.
What about someone drugged driving his car over you?
This is an amazing video. Thank you for doing this.
ugh feel so bad for the Romani girls getting married so young and the girl S.A'ed at the end :(((( my heart breaks for them
thank you, Hailey!
amazing documentary, brought me to tears!
I'm a Romanian.
I appreciate the video.
Why did you blur the church at 32:36 ?
Loved this!
This is an old documentary full of victim stereotypes. My female relatives and friends in Romania work as medical doctors, teachers, film producers and in other highly educated professions. Nobody needs to become a cam girl. If a woman becomes a sex worker "to drive a Mercedes" instead of learning a profession it says more about her vanity than the state of the government.
👍👏 Well said
Hearing that trafficking victim survivor’s story made me cry
It's a very weird material. Giving one way image about things here. Yes, there are lots of problems to deal with here. But filming your figure from behind (like on those stairs at the end) and giving some weirdos thoughts that it's ok to find victims here is not ok. Sorry
Thanks for this great reporting. So interesting. Hope with all my heart things will change.
This is kinda weird...firstly, the man said people in Romania could not own gold in Ceausescu time: False! Secondly, the woman said she wanted to be a lawyer but the corruption is big and that's why she is doing video chat..seriously?There are many girls who reached prosecutors and judges, from very low family income, from modest backgrounds, how can she say such BS??! Yes, it is hard work and the money is not flowing like in a video chat studio, but getting easy money undressing yourself and being proud of and then saying that you do this because you had no other choice? Pathetic!!
Not to mention Codruța Kovesi,she really did good work.
They could say that studying law ( not necessarily finishing the studies) was well known to be the path for some "ambitious ladies" in becoming " journalists" and escorts for the people with wealth and influence but those have been the girls that never intended to study and build a career in the first place.
I have not watched yet but the title "post communist" bruh its been like almost 30 years why is that information even important?
...it literally says why in the description " to find out what it’s like to be the first generation of women raised in the EU."
This is not a good documentary, I’d say it’s quite biased, also this was probably shoot in 2017 so out of date; the events presented are from 2017, a lot of misinformation in my opinion and let’s not make it so that RO is going through issues the rest of the world isn’t facing … does not resonate much to the actuality, maybe 10 yrs back or 20 would have been much accurate; you kinda followed just one line of investigation, poor journalism on your side … why we should always fact check and not trust the media, they present just one storyline
her outfit was literally the most disco though lol
Yes more keys than work
Very nice work, but why did you post it now? It was filmed during the 2017 issues regarding our then leader who was an abuser of power as we expected. It would have had a bigger impact back in 2017.
It's clear now why Andrew Tate chose to live in Romania
great reporting 😀 26:33 subtitle should read not "buyers" but instead, "boyars", aka eastern-european aristocrats, rulers, feudal lords
Lol, I pointed that out as well. Although, in Romanian, it is boier.
This is a great documentary. I found it so interesting
Especially the key for free
lmao. an american chick being offended that her outfit isn't glam enough - "but i changed out of my pyjamas for this!"
I don't think this documentary represents the actual truth. Also, what that girl from videochatpointed out that she'd like to become a lawyer but she won't becuse of corruption - let's face it: it''s not like that, it's not real. Becoming a lawyer needs at least 5 years of study and probably low-paid internships. Romania has uncorrupt lawyers in the legal system. If someone chooses the 'easy way' to earn their income they shouldn't blame it on the system. And communist Romania is far off in the past, like 35 years in the past. Also, this video is from 2017, so almost 7 years ago. Things change rapidly here. Come and visit and you'd be amazed that it's pretty much like the other European countries :) plus safer.
That was shameful how Hailey was treated by the panel on Bravo Ai Stil. I'm really glad that the people took to the streets to protest after the show. The rudeness of the judges was awful and they should be taken to Targoviste for their behaviour.
You don't know what a professional judge is? You may not be appropriate to get a job
I keep seeing a perpetuation of absurdities towards Romania. It's all pretty sketchy, left more of preconceptions and bad information than of any real study.
I don't even know where to start:
- the perception of corruption is high in any country, go to the UK and people will not be happy with their own government
- Romanian communism did big business with the West, although the sons of the West today have no idea of recent history
- present-day Romania is defined not only by the communist period or the revolution, but by the Romanian spirit in general.
- regarding the women's portrayal in this article it's simply foolish
Considering that this video reportage should be for entertainment purposes only, the historical and sociological part would have been better left out, since it is so superficial. A collage of historical footage does not make a report a veritable investigation.
Why didn't you put some flying vampires if you still ended up taking a trip to Romania?! Russian-speaking vampires (ex-communists, right?!) At least then you'd have given a more realistic tone to the whole thing.
Unbelievable! And men want to complain about feminist movements
Regarding the key partying?
I grew up in Bulgaria and I had Roma classmates and friends, sadly only very few graduated high-school, they got married off to someone at 14, 15 and dropped out of school. I admire these Roma women, the wedding dress designer , and the other advocates for Roma women's right, and their resilience and strength, their advocacy for their people. They are so discriminated against and mistreated by the majority of the predominant population. Racism and prejudices are so deeply engrained into the society that people don't think it's a bad thing, it's normal to most. It's good to see that changes are being made, and advocacy and ongoing work is done to make changes.
rOMA is a totally different culture, not at all Romanian.
Would you say that the communist regime did not do enough for them to get these results again decades after?
Roma in Romania are not an ethnic minority but colonizers.
heart-breaking ! thank you
can we please watch season 1? i'm dying to see it
White subtitle on snow or white floors.... yeah , dont think much thought went in to this , crossing the language barriers .
Your going to miss half the content unless you are bilingual English/ Romania.
This is journalism! I'm hoping the future of journalism is more like this, producing long-form, on-the-ground exposés.
The way she ate the soup 4:46🤣🤣🤣🤣
the reporter looked so similar to the international model!
This video is a good few years old now
Thank you for this!!
I don't know why I love this sooo much