Celebrities wear black to take a stand against sexual assault

The 2018 Golden Globes on Jan. 7 were about more than just the usual awards and high fashion. Hosted by Seth Meyers, this year’s Golden Globes provided a platform for celebrities to publicize the Time’s Up Movement.

The Time’s Up Movement was founded on Jan. 1 by women in entertainment to bring attention to inequality and injustice in the workplace. The goals of Time’s Up are to hold wrongdoers accountable, support victims for speaking up and create equality for women in the workplace.

In light of the rising number of public sexual harassment accusations, celebrities have been using their platforms to demand change. Nearly everyone on the red carpet wore all black or a Time’s Up pin in support of the movement.

Many celebrities brought activists as their dates; Actresses Laura Dern, Amy Poehler, Susan Sarandon, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Michelle Williams, Shailene Woodley and Angelina Jolie all brought feminists and activists, including Saru Jayaraman, co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Center, and Ai-jen Poo, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. The actresses and their dates spoke about the importance of the Time’s Up Movement during red carpet interviews.

While celebrities have helped the movement gain momentum, there are still complexities. Although many people were pleased to see activists occupying the carpet, many victims of sexual assault were noticeably absent. Harvey Weinstein’s accusers even claimed on social media that they were not invited to the Golden Globes.

“Not only I wasn’t invited to the #GoldenGlobes: nobody asked my opinion about #TIMESUP,” Asia Argento, one of the first women to accuse Weinstein, tweeted on Jan. 8. “Guess I am not POWERFUL or HOLLYWOOD enough.”

Accusers and their supporters were upset to see that while they were not invited, celebrities such as Kendall Jenner who attended used their time on the red carpet to self-promote.

People were also angry to see James Franco, who has been accused of sexual harassment, win an award. Franco, who wore a Time’s Up pin on the carpet, was called out for his actions of preying on people who have no power. Scarlett Johansson said about Franco, after the allegations about him were made. “I want my pin back, by the way.”

Celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Rachel Brosnahan, Elisabeth Moss and Laura Dern also used their acceptance speeches to talk about women’s rights and sexual misconduct in the workplace.

“Many of us were taught not to tattle,” Dern said in her acceptance speech for the Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture for TV award. “It was a culture of silencing and that was normalized. I urge all of us to not only support survivors and bystanders who are brave enough to tell their truth but, to promote restorative justice. May we also please protect and employ them. May we teach our children that speaking out without the fear of retribution is our culture’s new north star.”

Dern and other actresses’ speeches were powerful, but the most memorable speech of all was given by Oprah Winfrey as she accepted the Cecil B. deMille Award for her outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment.

“We all know that the press is under siege these days,” Winfrey said. “But we also know that it is the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and injustice, to tyrants and victims, and secrets and lies.”

Winfrey’s speech left many in the audience in tears and started a social media craze of supporters posting and tweeting #OprahForPresident.

Host Seth Meyers contributed to the Oprah for president call by joking that he convinced Donald Trump to run for president, and perhaps his jokes would make Oprah run as well.

Though she might have the support, Winfrey said in an interview for the March 2018 InStyle Cover that she would not run for president.

At least three women chose not to wear black to the Golden Globes. Barbara Meier, Meher Tatna and Blanca Blanco walked the carpet in colorful gowns. Meier explained that she thinks women should be able to wear whatever they want, although she does support the movement.

The message of the Time’s Up Movement has been adopted by those in other professions as well. Important figures in politics and news media have also spoken out against sexual misconduct in their respective workplaces.

So far, there are no plans for the Oscars to have any protests similar to those at the Golden Globes, but the movement has successfully established the expectation that award shows will acknowledge historically marginalized groups.