By Allison Downs
If you’re an active social media-user, then you’ve probably heard of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. However, if you don’t use social media, the #MeToo Movement began in October 2017 as a Twitter hashtag and spread virally across all social media platforms. Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted the hashtag and encouraged other women to use it to make people more aware of the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment. Since then, the hashtag has been posted online millions of times, and many have shared their personal stories of sexual assault and harassment along with it. The New York Times announced the Time’s Up Movement on January 1, 2018. The Time’s Up movement was started by hundreds of influential figures in entertainment who work to combat sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry.
At recent events and awards shows such as the Golden Globes and the Grammys, many artists have shown and expressed their solidarity in their clothing. At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards show, several attendees coordinated and wore all-black dresses and outfits in support of the Time’s Up Movement. Stars including Margot Robbie, Mandy Moore, and Kelly Clarkson all wore black as a show of unity and power against sexual harassment.
Following the success of the black dress initiative at the Golden Globes, musicians attending the 2018 Grammy Awards show expressed their support of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements by either wearing or carrying white roses. The group "Voices in Entertainment" wrote a letter encouraging their colleagues and other artists to participate and explained the significance of the white rose: “We choose the white rose because historically it stands for hope, peace, sympathy and resistance.” Stars like Rita Ora, Lady Gaga, and P!nk all pinned white roses to their dresses to show their solidarity on the red carpet.
Learn more about Time’s Up, an organization of women in entertainment combating sexual harassment and inequality, on its website. To donate to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which will provide subsidized legal support to women and men in all industries who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace, visit its GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/timesup.
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Photo Credit
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42599836
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/music/news/grammys-2018-red-carpet-stars-wear-white-roses-for-equality/articleshow/62687391.cms