Set Your Clocks, It’s Time for Change: An Analysis of the Impact of the Time’s Up Movement
How a movement that originated in Hollywood created change for all women — no matter their profession
January 1st, 2018.
A letter was published in The New York Times that set the tone for what the new year had in store. This letter in question being the open letter to women of the world, signed by over 300 women in the entertainment industry, standing together in solidarity and promising to take action to tackle the prevalent issue of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. This was the beginning of the Time’s Up Movement, which paved the way for conversations about ending workplace sexual harassment, through the process of open dialogues and exposing stories of lived experiences.
Mission Statement
The overarching goal of this movement since it has started has been to use these high-profile voices to enact concrete change, though policy and legislation. And, while the “Times Up Movement” has made significant moves in supporting women counteracting sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, it has also managed to support women who are not as high profile and are working in a variety of fields, through a system of transparency and solidarity. I will be proving that this movement has been effective at enacting positive change, which is evident in the lives it has benefited.
Fighting From Within the Industry
Firstly, the positive change and effect that the Time’s Up Movement has had for many women (and men) in the entertainment industry has been significant. The number of stories that have been exposed — as well as abusers — are extensive and were only able to come to light through the support and efforts of the movement. One of the most well-known cases of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry that the movement has continuously supported survivors through, is the abuse enacted by producer Harvey Weinstein. One of the first women to speak out against Weinstein was actress Ashley Judd who, after she refused Weinstein’s sexual advances, was blocked from many working opportunities by the producer out of spite — most notably telling Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson that Judd was “impossible to work with”, subsequently causing her to lose a potential job. After coming out with her story, with the support of the movement, Judd was able to file a lawsuit of slander against Weinstein and sue for earnings lost. The fear of many women who experience workplace harassment, especially in the entertainment industry, is that they will be labelled “difficult” by those in power, which will subsequently affect their career or even block them from potential opportunities. In the aftermath of her lawsuit, Judd is still working in the industry today, with projects even set to come out in the new year. The Time’s Up movement’s positive effect in this case is evident through the support that gave Judd the strength to come out and tell her story that she had been hiding for over two decades.
Additionally, the movement also provided support and backup against any possible retribution Judd could receive for speaking out, as the sheer numbers of supporters and publicity around the case served as a way to keep producers and any other potential employers accountable on the exact way that silence could have enabled them. Many other big name actors and actresses, as well as directors, personal assistants, lighting and tech workers, as well any other types of workers that could be connected to the entertainment industry came out with their stories of abuse with the support of the Time’s Up movement; Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terry Crews and countless others. Evidently, it can be seen that the Time’s Up Movement has been successful in making significant and important moves towards supporting women and survivors of sexual harassment and abuse in the entertainment industry.
Keep it Intersectional
However, in the face of all this positive change and action, I think it would be remiss not of me to make a note of the differences in treatment women of color have experienced through the telling of their stories and experiences since the movement started. It soon became apparent after the outpour of stories of abuse and harassment, that, much like how the intersectional experiences of discrimination are not the same for every woman, the response people of color began to experience were offensive inaction and even outright denials. One notable example being, actress Lupita Nyong’o writing about her experiences with Weinstein from the years of 2011–2014. Despite the specificity of the encounter described, right down to the words spoken, Weinstein’s team released a statement denying Nyong’o’s op-ed, even though, until that point, up to 40 women had spoken out against Weinstein, to which the response had been a mere blanket statement. It is important to note these differences in treatment of women of color and be aware of narratives that perpetuate deep-rooted racist ideals that allow abusers to attempt to discredit their victims, with little to no backlash.
In regards to the Time’s Up movement’s support of marginalized women, actress Tracy Ellis Ross’ essay on the movement’s mission statement sums it up best when she wrote,
From her words you can see the movement’s main wish is to substantiated on a basis of intersectionality, and providing those who they are supporting with the work and meaningful change, that matches up to their differing and vast needs.
From Actress to Analyst to Teacher — We All Deserve to be Support
To move away from the impact that the movement has had on the entertainment industry for a moment, Time’s Up has also made positive change for women working in many other fields. Some key mandates of the initiative include, but are not limited to the creation of a legal defense fund — which is backed by $13 million in donations — to help less privileged women in all industries to protect themselves from sexual misconduct, and if needed, the fallout from reporting it. It also advocates for legislation that penalizes companies who are proven to tolerate persistent harassment, and to protect women from the use of non-disclosure agreements that have historically silenced survivors. These aspects of the initiative show that, even at the movement’s conception, thought was being put into action for the support of women in all types of fields of work. Working to put policies and legislation in place, as well as using what financial and social advantages they have to back up women without the fail-safes of financial security and fame, show that the founders of this movement are focusing on being able to make effective change for women in all walks of life.
Admittedly, these initiatives, while having a large scope for possibilities, do not show all the active ways change is happening for women who have faced sexual harassment in the workplace and who are not in the spotlight. A statistic that does exemplify this change comes from a study by The Vox, which states that, when acts of workplace sexual harassment are “specifically defined”, more women are likely to report incidents. What this means in regards to the Time’s Up movement, is that when there is more of an open dialogue about work place sexual harassment, and people can be more confident in their knowledge of what it is and what it looks like, women feel more comfortable in reporting incidents and, subsequently, getting the help that they need. The Time’s Up Movement has assuredly opened up the conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace, with each personal stories that comes out and that is no longer being hidden in the shadows, and the stigma that is lessened as each person comes forward and is given support. When these acts are “specifically defined” and showed as varying from verbal harassment and threats to actual physical acts, with each one being taken seriously and given importance, women in all aspects of life are less likely to minimize their experiences, as they are able to see them reflected through the actions of the movement.
So you can see that, while the “Times Up Movement” has made effective change in the support and empowerment of women counteracting sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, it has also succeeded in supporting working women in a variety of fields. This is evident through the publicized support of high-profile actors and actresses, even focusing on the struggles of working within an intersectional framework, and also the changes in legislation, the enacting of policies, and the opening of dialogues, to give resources to all working women who experience sexual harassment in their place of work. And, while the steps made by this movement have affected positive change, the only way we keep these open dialogues and stands of solidarity alive, are to ensure that we are all doing our part in stopping the stigma of reporting sexual abuse and believing survivors. Because they are already doing the most difficult part of taking the first step, the least we can do are make sure that they are able to take the second.
