Women Make a Statement in Black

By: Meredith Welborn

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An overwhelming number of women in the film and TV industry sported black gowns at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards. This may seem like a major fashion faux-pas; however, these women were showing support for the “Time’s Up” movement which raises awareness for victims of sexual harassment and encourages them to speak up against their attackers. These women are fed up with the pervasive culture of sexism that has permeated Hollywood for generations. After a year full of victims coming forward with stories of sexual assault involving iconic Hollywood men, these women banned together and made a statement with their wardrobes, changing the question from, “what are you wearing?” to “why are you wearing it?”

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Reese Witherspoon told People, “We’re finally hearing each other, and seeing each other, and now locking arms in solidarity with each other, and in solidarity for every woman who doesn’t feel seen, to be finally heard.”

Fittingly, many of the big winners this year involved the stories of women who face sexual abuse, harassment and inequality such as Big Little Lies, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Three Billboards. Most notably, however, Oprah received this year’s Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award and gave a speech that became viral overnight. She made history as the first black women to ever receive this honor.

Over the years, feminism has become taboo and a subject of divisiveness. It doesn’t have to be. The definition is simple: equality. So, some might criticize this interpretation considering the 2018 Golden Globes clearly favored women. However, this night simply showed that women can be just as powerful as men – a vastly important truth for complete equality to ever occur. And, although the room grew uncomfortable when host Seth Myers named dropped Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, his comments demonstrate the true mantra of the movement: to speak up.

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