Photo Credit: Handout/Handout
We’re all still trying to wrap our heads around Oprah’s spellbinding speech at the Golden Globes last night….I know I am.
The media mogul gave a memorable speech about the importance of media and women’s rights while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Every word she spoke stuck and every line she shouted tug at your soul. It really took the words from a resilient woman, like Oprah, for Hollywood and the world to finally listen.
Up until then, we’ve seen interviews, articles and tweets about the tear down of Hollywood’s disgusting acts but the emotional aspect of the conversation didn’t turn into reality until O’s speech last night.
If you didn’t care about what’s happening to women in different industries, you did last night.
In light of all of the sexual harassment and in some instances rape cases that have surfaced, it appears the mask of what Hollywood is truly like has been ripped off from the powerful men behind it. Too long have women been told to be quiet or deal with they went through or even worse, just accept that this is how the industry is and has been for I’m sure the beginning of cinema.
As women, we are expected to endure whatever is thrown at us good or bad. In many instances, our superpowers and that is “strength”, can overpower the bad. But when is bad too bad that even a woman’s strength cannot be the answer for it? This is when. This is why women are coming out the woodwork and bravely sharing their stories.
Last night, women from all over the world uploaded images of themselves wearing black, with the hashtag “#timesup” and “WhyWeWearBlack” onto social media as a sign of solidarity for those who’ve been silenced. For the few who’ve been living under a rock and criticizing the lack of colorful clothing on the red carpet, this is the reason why you saw all the female attendees of the show wear black.
Some actresses even opted for female activists from different industries as their guest for the evening.
Photo Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
Photo Credit: Steve Graniz/Getty Images
The campaign was launched by “Time’s Up”, an anti-sexual harassment group and it showed the power in numbers and what unifying can do: it can shake the world to the core.
So what’s next? Is this just another movement that is hot for the moment and then gone the next?
NO.
Time’s Up will continue to fight for workplace harassment to be decreased and gender equality across all industries. The group has already raised $15 million towards the legal defense fund, which will aid in bringing these goals to fruition.
Aside from speaking on the sexual harassment, attendees occasionally threw shots at the industry’s lack of equal pay in
To be honest, the women behind this group couldn’t have created a better name for it. Last night’s Golden Globes was more important then some may be able to comprehend and I’m so happy the tides are shifting.
As Oprah said in her speech last night, “Their time is up!” and it is.
Btw, Oprah for President in 2020? Word has it she’s interested and intrigued by the notion. We’ll have to wait and see.