Opinion: The Hypocrisy of The Golden Globes and the Hollywood Elite
On the night of the Golden Globes, eight A-list women brought female activists as their red carpet dates as an apparent show of solidarity; let’s deconstruct some of what actually happened there.
Let’s applaud Hollywood for acknowledging a problem that’s been permissed for decades. But how many warriors of the cause actually practice what they preach? Very few.
While we give the voice of the victim to women who already have a voice through the power of fame, other women around the globe are still abused while working in restaurants, corporate firms, and doctors’ offices–even walking down the street or riding public buses and trains puts them at risk. Some even face it in their own homes.
Every woman faces sexual harassment. Models, actresses, and socialites who have made light of abuse to further their careers for years, now coming out with stories of misconduct in order to be called “brave”, do not deserve to lead a movement of victimized women.
Everyday women like me are called liars, overly-sensitive, crazy, or unable to take a compliment.
Do these famed women believe in what they represent, or has Hollywood hopped on #MeToo and #thisendsnow simply for ratings? Now, in a world where any celebrity that does not acknowledge the movement ends up facing criticism, is it any wonder that they all embrace it so willingly?
Being cat-called does not make you part of #MeToo; that happens to all of us. Winning a lawsuit for having your butt grabbed, **cough Taylor swift**, does not entitle you to be the face of the movement when the rest of us face these ass grabbers regularly, but don’t have the means to hire a lawyer for such a frequent occurrence. A model who is harassed on the street does not know the plight of the rest of us, who wear our least-revealing clothes while out grocery shopping, running to the bank, or checking the mail, and are still being sexualized nonetheless.
If you have a face everyone knows and recognizes, you cannot understand what the rest of us nameless, faceless women are accosted with daily on the street. As we are not celebrities, we do not seek attention. Many of us hide from it.
Golden Globes host, Seth Myers, made several cracks toward Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, though the jokes were poorly received by an audience dressed almost entirely in black, wearing buttons that signaled solidarity with victimized women across the globe.
“Harvey Weinstein can’t be here tonight because, well, I’ve heard rumors that he’s crazy and difficult to work with,” Meyers said. “But don’t worry–he’ll be back in 20 years when he becomes the first person ever booed during the ‘In Memoriam’ segment.”
The crowd of black-clad celebrities ended up booing Meyers instead.
Myers then made fun of the southern accent Spacey adopted for “House of Cards”, to which he only received crickets. Even a relatively tame Woody Allen jab was met with only a few claps and uncomfortable looks being exchanged around the room.
On the night of the Golden Globes, eight A-list women brought female activists as their red carpet dates as an apparent show of solidarity; let’s deconstruct some of what actually happened there.
Emma Stone brought along Billie Jean King, the tennis legend and LGBT activist that Stone actually played in “Battle of the Sexes”; although, NBC misspelled King’s first name when they referred to her as the “O.G. of gender equality”.
Michelle Williams arrived arm-in-arm with Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, and delivered well-rehearsed, almost identical speeches to several different news outlets. Williams emotionally declared:
“I thought I would have to raise my daughter to learn how to protect herself in a dangerous world…and I think because of the work that I’m learning how to do, we actually have the opportunity to hand our children a different world. So I am, like, moved beyond measure to be standing next to this woman. I have, like, tears in my eyes and a smile on my face.”
Williams, however, starred in “All the Money in the World” alongside Kevin Spacey, until he was accused of sexually assaulting underaged boys and was removed from the film.
Then there was Meryl Streep, who brought Ai-Jen Poo, the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Possibly the most hypocritical of the group, Streep denied knowing anything about Weinstein, whom she called a “god” not too long ago at the 2012 Globes.
Elizabeth Moss of the Handmaid’s Tale, who won Best Actress in a TV Drama, was criticized for her acceptance speech where she quoted Margaret Atwood. As a member of the Church of Scientology, it was a bit odd to hear her mention: “the women who were brave enough to fight for equality and freedom in this world,” considering that her religion has been accused by many parties of sexism and sexual assault cover-ups.
Neither the #MeToo movement nor the 2018 Golden Globes had made the rest of us women any safer.
When I think of victims of sexual harassment and assault, I do not think of Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Oprah, or any of the other women attempting to become the face of gender equality. I think of what I, my friends, and my female family members have experienced.
I’ve met worse monsters than Harvey Weinstein. They are everywhere. While many of these monsters undoubtedly reside in the entertainment industry, taking out Weinstein is taking out but a drop in the bucket.
As a woman, who has time and time again been harassed and abused, I am offended that Hollywood feels that they have accomplished something. The Golden Globes has changed nothing. Sacking Harvey Weinstein has changed nothing. Real change will come from the grassroot movements, the activists, and the women affected by sexual harassment on a daily basis, not from our country’s entertainment personalities.
What did you think of the Golden Globes last night?
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