The Time called them “Silence Breakers”. By naming the #MeToo movement the 2017 Personality of the Year, the magazine has honoured a raging online campaign that exposed sexual predators in all walks of life.
British actress Rose McGowan shook Hollywood with sexual assault allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and American actress Alyssa Milano seized the opportunity to issue a call to action on social media.
It unleashed an avalanche of similar charges against other prominent men in media, politics, entertainment, business and sport. These are powerful men who abused power to sexually assault women, and in some cases young men too. Since October, the movement has reached more than 85 countries, and the hashtag has been used millions of times.
The Time cover is a tribute to the women who suffered indignity and dared to speak out. It features five women — an actress, a singer, an engineer, a lobbyist and a Mexican strawberry picker — to show that sexual harassment affects people everywhere. A sixth woman, a hospital worker — shown only by her arm — represents the millions who can’t come forward to narrate their stories of abuse and the millions who shared their harrowing experiences anonymously.
The allegations are only the tip of the iceberg because a culture of silence surrounds sexual abuse. The Time cover raises the profile of the #MeToo movement that has empowered women to speak out. They are being heard and believed.
Companies can no longer ignore the complaints and silence employees with non-disclosure agreements. Predators won’t be able to gag victims with settlements and threats of expensive lawsuits and ruined careers.
This is a watershed moment to end tolerance of such deviant behaviour. The Time has seized the moment.
