Time Magazine has announced the Person of the Year for 2017, honoring "The Silence Breakers" for 2017. They represent the voices of MeToo - of the countless women who stood up to misogyny and sexual harassment this year.
In their annual issue, they sat down with dozens of women including actresses, activists, public figures and men who have helped spark one of the fastest-growing social changes in history. The profile included interviews with key figures who have led the movement, including activist Tarana Burke, actresses Ashley Judd and Alyssa Milano and singer Taylor Swift.
However, the honor was not just to recognize these prolific voices but the cultural shift that it has elicited that has seen high-profile men such as Bill O'Reilly or Kevin Spacey be called out and held accountable for their actions. It is these changes that have earned not only Time's front cover but the powerful, positive rhetoric that has dominated the media and on which Person of the Year is awarded.
The year that was
It is no doubt that this recognition could not be more timely. After a year of countless sexual harassment allegations, just this week more reports have come to light against Dustin Hoffman and Matt Lauer. However, this has also been the year that has shown the resilience and strength of women around the world to fight for equality on all fronts.
In fact, the year started with one of the most powerful global protests we've seen in modern history in a stark rejection of the misogynistic rhetoric seen in the 2016 Presidential election.
The nomination of Patty Jenkins for Person of the Year also nods at the changes signaled this year for positive representation. Jenkins, the director of record-breaking success Wonder Woman proved critics wrong and became a plethora of firsts for women and action blockbusters.
In a year when we saw the power of women reflected all through the news, Jenkins gave us the gift of seeing it on our cinema screens as well.
But it was the seismic shift in how we spoke about sexual harassment and the ways in which it was finally being addressed that have led us to this particular accolade. The true power of the #MeToo movement was not just that some brave women spoke out; but that millions of women around the world came together to show this problem could no longer be dismissed or diminished.
The shortlist
Along with Patty Jenkins, the shortlist also honored trailblazers Colin Kaepernick who's silent protest has continued to rock the NFL and the nation and Robert Mueller, the prosecutor leading the investigation on Trump and his Russian ties.
President Trump was runner-up, after taking out the top spot last year amidst his Presidential win. For a man with sexual allegation charges still held against him, the irony of naming him next to these women was not lost on many – including singer Demi Lovato who spoke out about the hypocrisy on Twitter.
Time mag highlights brave women coming forward against sexual assault on the cover but names a man with sexual assault allegations against him runner up to person of the year.. Really @TIME? #hypocrites
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) December 7, 2017
The list also acknowledged leaders Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping who have continued to consolidate their stronghold in the East and test the resilience of American power.
Nevertheless, this year's honorees and the calendar of events that have led to their acknowledgment signal that change is afoot – and it is powered by the women who took this year’s cover and thousands of women around the world who responded to the rallying cry. Bring on 2018.
If you’re feeling like you’re too scared to speak up because the world doesn’t want to hear what you have to say, let this be proof that your voice matters. #TIMEPOY #MeToo https://t.co/FZ2PZxLqge
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 7, 2017
