Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman are just some of the countless men in Hollywood who have been accused of sexual assault in recent months.
Women are emerging in masses to share their stories of assault, which for some, have been silenced for years. The movement spearheading it all is Time’s Up, a movement whose message is simple—it’s time … time for something to be done about sexual harassment in the workforce because enough is enough. The impact of the movement though, goes far deeper.
Luckily VALLEY has everything you need to know about the iconic movement.
By partnering with leading advocates and receiving support from tons of prominent public figures, Time’s Up aims to improve equality and safety on movie sets, farms and boardrooms alike.
“It’s one of the most important social revolutions of the 21st century,”Alicia Decker, Penn State women’s studies professor, says.
Decker is currently teaching feminist theory and explains that the movement is really important in getting people to think about power. She also says she hopes to see more intersectional analysis within the movement.
“I’d like to see it be about more than just gender and have [Time’s Up] get people to start looking at how race and sexuality also come into the mix in terms of how women experience discrimination and violence in the workplace,” Decker explains.
Though the world is still patiently waiting to see if these victims will get justice in the form of watching their high-powered abusers fall, the movement is bringing to light issues that can no longer be swept under the rug.
It is creating conversations that are necessary to have and an opportunity for women to feel like they might actually be heard now more than they ever were in the past.
“People are realizing it’s now a safe place to come forward,” Decker says. “But again, the fear is that this is just trending right now and in a few months everyone will forget about the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.”
The Hollywood celebrities who founded Time’s Up are working hard to ensure this movement goes beyond just a fad.
So far, the initiatives they have announced are: a $13 million legal defense fund to support low-income women seeking justice for sexual assault in the workplace, a platform advocating for legislation to punish companies that tolerate persistent harassment and a movement towards gender parity in studio and talent agencies.
Jessica and Kate Capshaw, Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone and Kerry Washington are just some of the many A-list women who are backing the movement and making thousand dollar donations.
Other celebrities have shown their support by wearing black on the red carpet for the 75th annual Golden Globes.
Men too have spoken on the importance of this movement; Mark Wahlberg recently donated his $1.5 million salary from “All the Money in the World” to Time’s Up and Timothée Chalamet donated his salary from Woody Hall’s “A Rainy Day in New York” as well.
As girl power continues to rise, VALLEY looks forward to seeing the movement accomplishing great things and making strides towards equality and safety for women in the workplace.
