To say that the Harvey Weinstein scandal rocked Hollywood is an understatement. The aftershocks have been just as damning, and they continue to spread far outside the “City of Angels.” Under the glare of the national spotlight, assaulters and rapists have been flushed out of their dark, dank caves to face the outrage of the public, and I, for one, believe that we are witnessing a historic event. There are still powerful men who need to be held accountable—including Woody Allen, Bill Clinton, and our current president—but the tide is turning, and the movie industry, finally acknowledging its own mess, can be a force for change.
Celebrities, especially actors, oftentimes get flack for having “unimportant” jobs that don’t have a real effect on people, unlike doctors, firefighters, etc. I would argue that they have one of the most influential jobs in the world. The #MeToo movement was started by activist Tarana Burke (whom Michelle Williams took as her date to the Golden Globes), whose importance cannot be overstated, but the famous actresses who took up the mantra helped to spread it further. The Time’s Up initiative has sparked action around the country, but it was spearheaded by a group of vapid celebrities. No one can escape the previews for movies being shown every day, and pop culture rests largely on the shoulders of movies and television shows. So while actors may not be physically saving lives every day, the movie industry and those within it have arguably one of the most important roles to play in this moment.
Even before the Weinstein scandal and its still-unfolding aftermath, women’s power in Hollywood was already exponentially growing. The three highest-grossing movies of 2017 were all lead by women: Wonder Woman, Beauty and the Beast, and coming in at number one, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I felt an enormous surge of pride when I learned this fact. All the misogynists who claimed that the reason women didn’t lead movies was that they couldn’t draw an audience—haha, suckers! Look who’s laughing now!
The women in these movies were all fully-realized, capable characters. Belle was my favorite Disney princess as a child because she, unlike the others, actually had a personality and did things for herself. Her independence and intelligence are her two defining features, which makes her stand out from various “stereotypical” female characters. Seeing her brought to life by my childhood (and current) hero, Emma Watson, was incredible. Wonder Woman running across no man’s land brought unexpected tears to my eyes. I love superhero movies and had always wished for more onscreen women superheroes, but I had completely underestimated just how powerful that scene would be (full disclosure: I cried buckets at the end when Steve flies off in the plane and when Diana says, “I believe in love”). Rey, meanwhile, continues to be the best. The Last Jedi had a whole fleet of powerful women, including Rose Tico, who showed that love is the most important thing we have; Vice Admiral Holdo, who had the most powerful, breathtaking scene in the movie; and, of course, General Leia Organa, who has always been, and will always be, an inspiration. Even Captain Phasma, Maz Kanata, Paige Tico, and Lieutenant Connix, all of whom did not have that much screen time, showed the importance of women in a galaxy far, far away.
At DragonCon in my hometown of Atlanta in 2016, I dressed up as Rey and went with two of my friends, who dressed up as Anakin and Luke. As we lined up to watch the parade, a young girl who recognized me as Rey tugged on my shirt. I turned around and all she said was, “I love your costume!” In that moment, I realized how important representation is. In the simple act of putting a woman front and center in a movie, a little girl was inspired. I turned back to my friends, grinning, and walked the rest of the day with a bounce in my step.
(Left to right: my friend Hannah as Anakin, my friend Josh as Luke, and myself as Rey at the Georgia Aquarium for DragonCon Night.)
Can you tell I’m very passionate about Star Wars? Anyway, back to the main point.
At the Academy Awards this year, four out of nine of the Best Picture nominees feature a female lead: The Post; The Shape of Water; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; and Lady Bird. (Am I upset that I, Tonya was snubbed? Yes. But that’s neither here nor there.) Greta Gerwig is the fifth woman to be nominated for Best Director and the first since Kathryn Bigelow in 2009. Rachel Morrison is the first woman to be nominated for Best Cinematography, for her work on Mudbound. Glass ceilings are continually being shattered, and when young girls, or just anyone, look at these record-breaking women, they will know that they, too, can achieve whatever they want.
Movies are pervasive. They’re everywhere. And they exert a very, very powerful influence. They reflect the time around us, and the time has arrived where women can and will take center stage. I believe that the revolution has only just begun. More women-driven vehicles are being produced, not just starring women, but featuring women behind the scenes. Marvel is rumored to be finally moving forward with a Black Widow movie, and has Captain Marvel slated for a 2019 release (can’t forget Ant-Man and the Wasp, too). Wonder Woman 2 will be epic. A Wrinkle in Time. The all-female movie in the Ocean’s franchise, Ocean’s Eight. Annihilation. Ava DuVernay directing a movie with Lupita Nyong’o and Rihanna that sprang from a Twitter meme. Big Little Lies season two. Women are everywhere, and it’s only just beginning. We still have a ways to go, especially with regards to women of color, but I am, above all, hopeful. After all, rebellions are built on hope.
The time is up and the time is now.
Suck it, Harvey Weinstein.
Image Credit: Feature, 1, Anna Harrison