*trigger warning: this article discusses sexual assault and misconduct*
You have probably heard of #metoo. You have probably woken up one day and seen that a few of your friends have put that phrase on Facebook or Twitter, maybe you have tweeted it yourself. Somehow, this simple combination of two words with a hashtag has caused the world to see the extent of the problem of sexual assault. And while the initial wave of the millions of #metoos that spread around social media is over, the hashtag is still front lining and maintaining popularity. And this is perpetuated by the phenomenon keeping the #metoo movement in momentum: award shows.
In order to fully understand whether the prevalence of #metoo in award shows and in popular events in Hollywood is helping the cause, we must first understand what this phrase #metoo stands for. The phrase #metoo was created so that all of the people who have ever been sexually assaulted or harassed would have an easier way to state that they have been without further questions, so they would not have to provide personal details. It was created so that people could start seeing the magnitude at which sexual assault is taking place. It did its job. Millions of people flooded social media with the phrase, celebrities and others alike. In addition, many well-known artists were able to make comments about sexual assault in the entertainment industry through using this hashtag.
While the hashtag seems to be having a completely positive influence, there are arguments against it, saying that women should not have to be pressured into revealing these extremely personal details to the world just for men to understand something that they already should. In addition, it has been said that #metoo causes a lot of stress for women who want to contribute but are not ready for the outside world to know what happened to them. Going off of this, in the entertainment industry there is debate over whether famous women should have to state #metoo to a very global audience and if the amount of #metoo references in the award shows is giving opportunities for men in Hollywood who have been accused of sexual assault to denounce the power that is held by the phrase by clapping along to these speeches.
At the Golden Globes, most attendees took part in the movement to wear entirely black to support #metoo and #timesup. While this meant some participants wore the same suit that they would have normally worn whilst saying they were still supporting the cause, there was an extreme sense of unity and progress as the camera looked out on an audience of people without the usual extravagant colors.
However, This also meant that James Franco, someone who had been accused of sexual assault the week before, was able to wear black and say that he supported #metoo. Although this can be considered a move in the right direction for him, some see it as hypocritical the #metoo movement, making it something that means so much less to people who thought it meant so much more. While Oprah gave her extremely powerful speech about how they would make a day where no one had to say #metoo again, the presence of actors who had been accused of sexual assault could denounce the meaning.
Looking forward, there can be expectations for speeches and symbols to be in most large public award shows in the entertainment industry. For example, more recently, the Grammys contained many powerful speeches and the white rose. While each is to their own on this issue, I believe that the presence of the #metoo movement at award shows, while becoming a brand rather than a powerful statement, is still pushing forward the movement and having an influence on the public.
Image Credit: Feature,Hannah Aronson-Paxton,2