Summary: Hollywood stars plan to hold silent protest of sexual harassment in the industry by wearing black during the Golden Globes award show.
Word has gotten out that those attending the Golden Globes award show will be wearing black to protest sexual harassment in Hollywood. While most of the stars, both male and female, and their stylists have declined to comment on the matter, a couple have discussed the plan.
People first broke the story, noting last month that the 2018 Golden Globes would be filled with black dresses. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson confirmed that men would be participating in the protest as a show of solidarity with their female colleagues.
The idea to turn the awards show into a silent sartorial protest was started by Time’s Up, a coalition launched on January 1. The group is backed by numerous A-listers in Hollywood, including Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone, Eva Longoria, and Shonda Rhimes. They have established a multimillion dollar legal fund to help victims of sexual harassment. Time’s Up is also pushing for gender parity in the entertainment industry and harsher laws against companies that allow sexual misconduct to continue.
Time’s Up is quickly building momentum, raising roughly $15 million in five days to support women who cannot afford to raise sexual harassment complaints on their own. Their goal is to turn the red carpet into a speaking platform on the topic.
Not all think the protest means anything. Actress Rose McGowan, who has been very vocal in her anger over sexual harassment, tweeted “YOUR SILENCE is THE problem.” Her tweet has since been deleted. “You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly and affect no real change. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa.” April Reign of #OscarsSoWhite added, “You know what would REALLY be a protest? Not going. No women on the red carpet as far as the eye can see. THAT would be a statement.”
Critics also wonder why Time’s Up and any participating actors, actresses, and stylists are not willing to talk about their silent protest now. Not talking about it is what allowed the sexual misconduct by Hollywood heavy-hitters like Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein to continue for decades.
This is not the first time that celebrities have used awards shows to make a point. They used the Emmys and Oscars back in 2016 to display their dislike of Donald Trump by wearing ACLU ribbons and Planned Parenthood pins. At the Grammys, Katy Perry donned a white suit which resembled something Hillary Clinton would wear and a pink armband that read “PERSIST.” Schoolboy Q wore a hoodie with the words “GIRL POWER” to the same show.
One of the only actresses to speak out about the black dress protest, Eva Longoria, told the Times, “There’s a misconception that this is a silent protest. Instead of asking us who we’re wearing, they’ll ask us why we’re wearing black.”
Do you think the reporters are really going to be asking why they are wearing black or will they ask who they are wearing like usual? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
To learn more about the #MeToo campaign, read these articles:
- Men Who Have Recently Resigned After Sexual Harassment Accusations
- The 6 Biggest Legal Issues of 2017 That Will Carry into 2018
- Time Names Silence Breakers of the #MeToo Movement as Person of the Year
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