Time’s up.
You may have heard this phrase recently, or see this hashtag trending all over social media. Time’s Up is a campaign created by women in Hollywood to stop gender injustice in the workfield as well as inform those who may not be aware of what’s going on. Whether the injustice is sexual harassment, a pay gap, sexism, or not enough women in leadership roles, these women are standing up for themselves by letting the world know that these injustices are not alright.
Time’s Up makes the claim of “No more silence. No more waiting. No more tolerance for discrimination, harassment or abuse,” in their mission statement, that you could check out on their website if you are interested. The campaign’s official website is (https://www.timesupnow.com/#into-anchor ), and it has excellent resources that teaches women about their rights, where to get help, and how to fight back against these injustices.
Awareness for this issue started with tons of celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Amanda Seyfried, Natalie Portman, and Brie Larson posting all over social media with the Time’s Up letter of solidarity. This sparked the debate over why sexual harassment and gender injustice in the workfield has been going on for far too long.
During the 2018 Golden Globes, every woman (and man) in attendance wore black to stand up for their fellow sisters who have gone through injustice in the workfield. It was a powerful night of feminism, especially when Oprah gave such an inspiring speech when she won the Cecil B. DeMille award. (Check out her speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN5HV79_8B8 ) It gave me a glimpse into the future, where men and women are treated and respected equally; the very thought gave me goosebumps (the good, I can’t wait for this to happen kind of goosebumps, that is).
It was nice to see important men in the entertainment industry wear all black with the Time’s Up pin on their tuxedos, and to see that there are men out there supporting this mission to stop gender inequality. A wonderful example is Mark Wahlberg’s donation of $1.5 million to the campaign, which happens to be the amount of money he made while doing reshoots for the All The Money in the World movie, where his female counterpart, Michelle Williams, would only make $80 or $1,000 a day for her reshoot scenes.
Justin Timberlake just released a music video for his new song “Supplies” and the video makes several references to the Time’s Up campaign. You see images of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, who are both elites in the hollywood industry and both have been accused of sexual assault and harassment. The video ends with a little kid saying “stop! no more!”, which is Timberlake’s way of saying that he too believes that gender injustice must stop.
While the movement has only just begun, I’m very optimistic that this is going to change things for the better for all women who have felt undervalued, misrepresented and mistreated in the workfield.
Time’s up on women feeling second-best. Time’s up on women not getting the respect they earned. Time’s up on women being sexually assaulted and harassed. Time’s up on women being afraid to walk alone at night. Time’s up on women feeling objectified whenever they walk past a group of men catcalling them. Time’s up on it all.
But guess what time it is for?
Women to have their voices be heard.
HCXOXO,
Kelli Carmack
**photos and information provided by timesupnow.com