Last night, guests at the Bafta Film Awards showed their support for the Time’s Up movement. Many wore black and sent messages from the stage. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton sported a black ribbon belt around her dark green dress. It was only last month that stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Angelina Jolie wore black at the Golden Globes.
The Time’s Up movement is an extension of the #MeToo campaign. Both want to recognise the women who have had to face sexual harassment the workplace. January 1st, a letter was published in The New York Times and signed by more than 300 female celebrities stating that wearing black was symbolic of something much bigger. They wanted to address “the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential.”
Not all of us have a ball to attend to show our support though and as much as I love a good feminist speech, I care more about the women in the industries who are trapped and cannot speak freely. Here are three ways you can help them.
Donate
The Time’s Up movement launched in conjunction with a legal defence fund led by the National Women’s Law Centre to support lower-income women seeking justice for sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. Movement starters such as Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston and Shonda Rhimes each donated $500,000 (£369,000). Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift donated $100,000 (£74,000) and Natalie Portman, Emma Stone, Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain have donated $50,000 (£37,000). This is all very American centric though. However, last night Emma Watson who has been a steadfast campaigner for women’s interests has launched the equivalent in the UK. You can donate here.
Emma Watson has already donated £1 million to the fund and other key celebrity members such as Tom Hiddleston and Keira Knightley, have each donated £10,000. Watson says: “This truly is something that affects everyone.”
Wear black
Prior to the Golden Globes, actresses including Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon posted a video on social media to encourage people to wear black in solidarity with Time’s Up. High-profile British actors and campaigners last night also took the opportunity to highlight their stance against the inequalities in show business.
Gemma Arterton sais: “We’re pressing for change in our industry, and we welcome the fact the UK industry has come together and developed principles and guidance which puts tackling harassment in the workplace on the agenda for everyone. We are only now waking up to the full scale of systematic abuse, inequity and sexual harassment based on gender and power – abuse that hurts us all. Today we stand in unity with others in zero tolerance of this abuse.”
Share the conversation
Nowadays, social media is becoming a political tool. One of the most important part of Time’s Up and the #MeToo movement is keeping it in the conversation. So talk about it on social media, talk about what they both mean to you. Every single time someone shares their reason for wearing black, it is ensuring this movement is being heard.
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