A little less than a year ago, before the major revelations of Harvey Weinstein‘s alleged sexual assaults or the current Time’s Up movement, Lorde made a seemingly vague tweet about “old men in power.”
these old men in power have a storm coming, the likes of which they cannot comprehend
— Lorde (@lorde) January 29, 2017
She couldn’t have known then, but the tweet became particularly relevant considering 2017’s reckoning of sexual assault — especially since many of those accused were in positions of power or authority.
The tweet resurfaced in December, with people highlighting its significance for the prior year. This includes Lorde herself.
this came true i guess https://t.co/03EY0bfDLr
— Lorde (@lorde) December 6, 2017
Lorde recently addressed what she called her “prophetic tweet” in an interview with Billboard, also giving her thoughts on the continued conversation around sexual assault.
“What is really interesting and important about this moment is that every man I know is having to check himself — having to be aware of his misogynistic biases, having to re-examine his understanding of consent,” Lorde said. “I think that is so overdue and so vital. It’s the kind of thing that only comes about when people are brave enough to share and really bring these dudes down. I think every woman is like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s happening.'”
She also praised Gabrielle Williams for her comments on the current reckoning.
“A really important thing, that Gabrielle Union addressed eloquently, is that we can’t forget that white voices are given their moment much more willingly than voices of color,” Lorde said. “It’s so important to realize that people of color weren’t afforded this luxury of having everybody listen always.”
Lorde is referencing Williams’ interview with The New York Times in December:
“I think the floodgates have opened for white women. I don’t think it’s a coincidence whose pain has been taken seriously. Whose pain we have showed historically and continued to show. Whose pain is tolerable and whose pain is intolerable. And whose pain needs to be addressed now.”
Read the full Billboard interview with Lorde here.