#MeToo movement named Time’s Person of the Year
‘A hashtag, a movement, a reckoning’
Women spoke up in 2017, fueling the anti-harassment #MeToo movement. These “silence breakers” have been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.
Following sexual misconduct revelations about Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey and dozens of other men, millions worldwide shared stories about being sexually harassed and assaulted.
The #MeToo movement came back to life after allegations against Harvey Weinstein came out in October. Actress-activist Alyssa Milano followed on a suggestion from a friend of a friend on Facebook and tweeted: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”
The hashtag was tweeted nearly a million times in 48 hours. The #MeToo movement was founded by activist Tarana Burke on Twitter a decade ago to raise awareness about sexual violence.
Featured on the cover are Ashley Judd, Susan Fowler, Adama Iwu, Taylor Swift and Isabel Pascual, whose “galvanizing actions,” along with countless others “have unleashed one of the highest-velocity shifts in our culture since the 1960s,” Edward Felsenthal, Time’s editor-in-chief, said in a piece explaining the magazine’s decision.
“It became a hashtag, a movement, a reckoning,” Felsenthal said. “But it began, as great social change nearly always does, with individual acts of courage.”
The announcement was made on NBC’s “Today” show, where longtime host Matt Lauer was fired last week amid harassment allegations. “Today” host Savannah Guthrie acknowledged Wednesday that this year’s winner hits “close to home” and mentioned Lauer by name.
