The night’s top awards, in television and film, all going to projects driven by and/or starring women was the perfect finishing touch to an empowering and encouraging evening.
Meanwhile, a noticeable and vast majority of the male winners failed to acknowledge the movement at all. Surrounded by a sea of women and men dressed in black, they said nothing.Whether they were afraid of saying the wrong thing or thought it was best to stay out of the conversation is for each individual to say. Whatever their intent, the contrast between the tone of the men’s and the women’s acceptance speeches spoke volumes.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the inequality and abuse that exists in Hollywood (and beyond) is not a women’s issue, it is a societal one.
Gentleman, I understand you might feel uncomfortable weighing in on the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements. After all, for every person calling for you to take a stand there’s another one ready to label your statement as “man-splaining.” It may seem unfair, like you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Here’s the thing, you don’t have to completely understand the movement. No one is asking for you to lead the equality parade. But the first step to solving this problem is acknowledging it.
In the mean time, ladies congratulations on last night. It was a step in the right direction, and a huge statement on the power of women’s voices and stories.
…just for fun: