Since actress Rose McGowan accused disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of raping her, the discussion of harassment and sexual misconduct has been almost non-stop. And as we approach awards season, the discussion about misconduct and abuse in the entertainment industry is sure to continue.
Last Friday, it was reported that actresses attending the Golden Globes on January 7 would wear black, as a statement against harassment and inequality in Hollywood. After news of this protest broke, McGowan tweeted, “Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster, are wearing black @goldenglobes in a silent protest. YOUR SILENCE is THE problem. You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real chance. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa,” she said, referencing the fashion line designed by Weinstein’s ex-wife, Georgina Chapman. McGowan later deleted the tweet.
Yesterday, Meryl Streep responded to McGowan’s comments in a statement that read in part, “It hurt to be attacked by Rose McGowan in banner headlines this weekend, but I want to let her know I did not know about Weinstein’s crimes, not in the 90s when he attacked her, or through subsequent decades when he proceeded to attack others.”
In her statement, Streep adds that she sent her home phone number to McGowan through mutual friends, with the hopes that she’d call her yesterday. “She did not, but I hope she reads this,” Streep’s statement reads. “I am truly sorry she sees me as an adversary, because we are both, together with all the women in our business, standing in defiance of the same implacable foe,” she adds.
While McGowan has a point that wearing black dresses won’t fix the problem of harassment in Hollywood, a protest like that can draw attention to the issue. And keeping the problem of harassment on everyone’s minds, on a big night like the Golden Globes, can make sure that the concern regarding the problem of sexual harassment doesn’t go away. I for one hope that all of the men and women who were hurt by the actions of the powerful get the justice they deserve.
Read Meryl Streep’s full statement here.