As One Star Falls, So Many Rise
“Women are being believed and the men fired. This is breathtaking. I have never seen anything like this solidarity and call to action in my life….The more we speak out, the less it will happen.” — Director Jane Campion
So every time you read or watch entertainment news these days, you feel as though you’ve been punched in the gut — amiright? Once again you find out that an admired director, a favorite actor, or perhaps even an admired actress has been accused of something so awful that you don’t even want to think about it — making you lose your faith in yet another hero, to kill another dream, to unceremoniously throw out another collection of DVDs as you move to dismiss yet another longtime idol.
The same person who once comforted you, made you laugh, inspired you and made you dream has been accused of downright nightmarish behavior; of raping, molesting, and/or harassing another human being. Suddenly you don’t know who to trust or believe — and, just as suddenly, a dream of yours has died.
There’s no other way to say it: This SUCKS! This is dreadful. Damn it, this hurts like hell.
…but let’s take just a moment to consider another person in this equation: the survivor. The person who had the strength and the courage to step forward to finally tell their truth; to reveal the painful details of what happened to them, and at the hands of someone that they too respected and admired.
In this person, I believe, we find the true idol— the genuine role model who reigns as the true life hero and heroine of their own remarkable story.
These brave superheroines and heroes move heaven and earth to topple and defeat the foulest of villains, thus making the entertainment business a safer and more equitable place.
What we see before us is the dawn of a revolution; a beautiful and dramatic act of rebellion that is far more exciting and inspiring than any movie or TV show. And forming the ranks of this new heroic league are plenty of people to admire: The Rose McGowans, the Terry Crews, and so many others, who tell their stories without fear and demand justice. The Ronan Farrows, who gallantly step forward to help others tell their stories. The Gal Gadots, who refuse to work with those who harass and objectify women.
Rest assured that, in Hollywood today, we still have plenty of people to love and admire. And if you need even more in the way of role models, why not take a look around your own community?
- Turn to the local feminist who runs the DV shelter
- The kindly old doctor in your town who sees charity cases
- The teachers, the nurses, the regular folks who do superhuman things
We can idolize those people — and ourselves, for each of us has the power to be a star.
That’s right; I’m talkin’ to you. As much as it hurt to throw out those DVDs, to boycott those movies, to surrender those dreams, just keep in mind that — by doing so — you yourself have become a warrior for a very noble cause. You yourself are a star of the revolution; a brave and determined soul who is making a statement and standing your ground.
While it’s always nice to have idols and role models to feed your dreams and inspire your goals, you never should allow those people to minimize and overshadow the star you see in the mirror.
You are the legend.
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