Last year, Hollywood was changed by the allegations of sexual harassment and assault by women against Harvey Weinstein. These incidents that were brought to light were a turning point in American society in our recognition of sexual harassment in the workplace. Never before has the world seen so many recognizable celebrities speak up about facing harassment in the industry.
A domino effect occurred after the allegations against Weinstein as other women found the courage to share their stories that otherwise would have been dismissed.
Numerous A-list celebrities have used their platform to raise awareness of the issues of gender discrimination, not only in Hollywood but in every workforce in America.
Alyssa Milano, actress and activist, tweeted a suggestion that every person who has been sexually assaulted should reply with the hashtag #MeToo to show the world the commonality of this issue.
Other actresses decided to head a movement that they called Time’s Up to push for an end to the abuse of power by high profile men and leaders. On January 1, 2018 a letter was released describing the movement and what it is fighting for. Time’s Up not only focuses on sexual harassment but also the discrimination against the LGBTQ community, people of color, women, and men.
The 2018 awards season has been heavily impacted by these movements on the red carpet and during the shows themselves. The first award show of the season saw most attendees wearing black in solidarity of the Time’s Up movement.
The Golden Globes was held on January 7 this year and the red carpet was a sea of black gowns and tuxedos. There were Time’s Up pins worn by many people especially if they weren’t wearing black.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards saw actors ditching the all black outfits and subbing them for Time’s Up pins.
Those who did not wear black received backlash for not outwardly supporting the movement. Even though a majority of people wore black there was still criticism against the importance of wearing one color. Some believed that it was pointless to wear black because it won’t actually enact change. More than celebrities wearing one color needs to be done to actually make change.
Many awards show hosts had commentary Harvey Weinstein and the effects it has had in the industry. At the 90th Annual Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel brought up how Weinstein was expelled from the academy while keeping the tone light with jokes.
Later on in the show, there was a moment for the leaders of the Time’s Up movement to share its ideals through a video from other actors and individuals who are part of the academy.
Moments on stage were also used to bring awareness to the issues of sexual assault and inclusion of minorities.
Janelle Monae used her time at the Grammy’s to share her support for the #MeToo and the Time’s Up movements before Kesha performed her hit song ‘Praying,’ which is about her experiences with sexual harassment in the professional world.
Kesha has been a huge advocate for these movements because of her own struggle with a powerful man abusing his power. She was not able to create new music for years because she did not want to want to continue to work with music producer Dr. Luke, who sexually abused her, but her record label would not let her out of her contract.
The entire awards season had continually brought light to the issues that Time’s Up and #MeToo are working to change. These causes have not be cycled out of the spotlight thanks to the persistence of the celebrities heading the movements.
