Only a month into 2018 and feminism is in full effect. Since the Harvey Weinstein allegations and #MeToo movement of 2017, women around the world have not yet ceased to let their voices be heard. From celebrities to Olympic athletes to thousands of everyday wom
en, throughout the month of January women have stood up and spoke out.
On January 1, 2018 a group of over 1,000 women published a letter of solidarity as part of the newly formed Time’s Up movement. The letter proclaimed that workplaces would be held accountable for sexual harassment, and that women's stories would be told “with the goal of shifting our society's perception and treatment of women.”
The Time’s Up movement is slowly taking over pop culture and it biggest award shows especially Golden Globes, the Critics Choice awards and the Grammys.
The Golden Globes have long been a night of misogynistic practices, where male attendees are asked about current or future projects, while women face questions about their dress designer, and “who are they wearing?”. This year the questions changed, while they were still about fashion, the answers were much more important than just a designer’s name. The question of the night, why do you wear black? The answers are best summarized by Eva Longoria, “This is a moment of solidarity, not a fashion moment."
On the night of the Golden Globes old Hollywood was mourned and a new day began as said by Oprah in her acceptance speech, “So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon!”
At the Critics Choice, some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities dressed in white, symbolizing innocence and purity. These fashion choices are all part of the Time’s Up movement showing that women who share their story should be listened to as opposed to the traditional doubting or belief that she was “asking for it.”
The Grammys have been a major night in music history. This year it was both a historical night for music and women around America. Some of the biggest names in music, such as P!nk, Anna Kendrick and Nick Jonas walked the red carpet carrying or wearing white roses, inspired by Voices in Entertainment, a do-it-yourself email campaign. The group said white roses were the accessory of choice because they have “historically stood for hope, peace, sympathy and resistance.”
And while white roses and black ball gowns bring awareness to issues like unequal pay, sexual harassment in the workplace, the tampon tax and the ending of title IX, the next twelve months will be all about finding solutions to theses problems and others. Among these issues, women of color and LBGTQ+ women and men face similar issues as well. Celebrities have already begun to face these issues.
Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer recently tied themselves together to demand equal pay, after Chastain approached Spencer and found that because Spencer is a women of color she was earning even less that Chastain. Spencer and Chastain are now both earning five times the amount they asked for. Mark Wahlberg responded to the news that co-star Michelle Williams received only a thousand dollars while he made over a million during reshoots of “All the Money in the World” by donating his salary from the reshoot to the Time's Up movement.
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