There are certainly a lot articles about the Golden Globe ceremonies and the #MeToo movement in the NYT today. It's been a long time since I noticed even one article on prison rape. Maybe I should dig really deeply into the paper? It's not considered a human rights issue worthy of the same level of attention? I wonder why?
1
PS No memorial to those who have passed? And The Post and Phantom Thread haven't even been released nationwide? Way to early for these sycophants to parade out.
1
Seems like a British actress--Claire Foy--was only female nominee who took advantage of a black dress code, with an elegant, feminine power suit that covered her body.
Natalie Portman, Katherine Zera Jones and Kate Hudson ought to be denounced for their objectification of women. I expect that within hours, sponsors, reps and agents will drop them, their careers and reputation will be ruined , forever, and their livelihoods will be taken away.
1
All political movements are awkward in the beginning stages. (When women come on strong, nobody knows how to react to us). But technically this is not a "beginning." It feels like reinforcement of fourth wave of feminism, with a call for economic equality. Now the focus is on sexual harassment and abuse. We need a strong leader. Though some might say today's climate calls for a group of leaders, I still believe that successful political movements need a figurehead like Gloria Steinem. For today's movement I'm thinking Amal Clooney or someone like her, glamorous and politically savvy, with top notch credentials. I also suggest that women get back to passing the Equal Rights Amendment. We lost that fight in the third wave, but now we have a chance to bring it front and center again. As a third-wave feminist I was inculcated with the notion that it all boils down to economics."Hit 'em in the pocketbook" is a feminist axiom. Unfortunately, because we've been denied equal access to the collective pocketbook, a lot of women don't feel comfortable in that arena. (Even Hoda Kotb said she doesn't "work only for money" when justifying her far lower paycheck than Matt Lauer's.) We need to start taking a page from men and act "as if" we are completely entitled to earn equal pay at any place we work. And we need to get laws enacted that ensure that we have that right.
I can't leave it alone. I was in Baltimore when she got her first start. Didn't do well, so she regrouped, worked on her strengths -- and left town to do it.
Too many are praising Oprah. Her really big talent?
Selling Oprah.
That she is more intelligent and articulate than our current clown (who isn't?) are not per se qualifications to lead a nation.
2
The term is 'awakened,' not ' woke.' The mob mentality, the virtual parade of conformity, is comical. Suddenly, Weinstein pals are radical feminists and intersectionals, without knowing or caring what that really means. Does Reese Witherspoon know a thing about Mao's cultural revolution and cleanse? The public shaming rituals? One guesses not. Besides, opting out of wokeness wouldn't be cool and would require some guts at this point. Oprah describes women who signed a manifesto somebody else wrote as "magnificent." Hating on white men, our fathers, our brothers, our husbands, and our country is suddenly such fun. Count me in, and give me a pin. I'm astonished and ashamed at how many useful idiots there are, and how very easy it is, even on a night when Churchill is,on a way on stage, to throw it all away.
7
So glad to see even the NYT commenters fed up with Hollywood.
5
So people who are infuriated that a billionaire businessman and TV host with no political experience became president - now want to see a billionaire businesswoman TV host with no political experience become president? Change I cannot believe in.
BTW, it's beginning to look like an informercial:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/oprah-winfreys-speech-sends-weight-watch...
You CAN fool some of the people all of the time.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
4
The show-voted on by only 100 people only-was a bore. Ultra rich women parading around in thousands of dollar gowns didn't move me. Oprah-meh? This self congratulatory event,even with a disappointing Meyers, wasn't all that! I was bored. Never heard of half the 'stars' or programs. Big Little Lies-I saw this at the Emmy's already. Kidman, gees, just shut up already.
2
A misogynist in the WH backed by the majority Republican party in Congress. Maybe wear blue jeans and a sweat shirt and donate some of that money for glitter and make up to doing the hard work of electing public officials who believe in equal opportunity and nurturing the planet instead of whites only and "conquering" nature.
1
No woman should vote for Oprah. In 2008 she did not do one thing to celebrate the historic gain for women that Hillary Clinton's simply running for office meant. Oprah's free to vote for whoever she pleases - but to utterly ignore the enormity of that presidential run a shocking decision. And with the audience of women that gave her her billions - she didn't do anything for Hillary when she ran against Trump either. Oprah is the perfect example of: Sometimes a woman is the worst misogynist there is. I'll take Harvey Weinstein over Oprah, any day!
2
Please. Isn't the whole process involved in getting ready and glamorous and beautified for these events steeped in patriarchy? All the "work" women to do to turn themselves into image of male desire. How daring to wear black. What a joke. And most aren't of these actresses admitted to the club because someone chose them for being sexy or attractive. If you ask me all these actresses are complicit in promoting stories written and produced by men. They've made their livings based upon being complicit.
You know how you protest patriarchy? You enter an industry (law, medicine, academia) that is based upon your brain.
2
I'm sexy and glamorous, don't look at me like I'm sexy.
3
Why would anyone watch, the rich self center liberals who care only about their money and no one else...I didn't and won't ever.
1
This tarring and feathering of men by the left isn’t entirely fair, because a lot of women are inviting the harassment. As a man, I have been physically hit (on the hand) and hit on by women at work on more than one occasion. And, as a customer, I’ve been called “hon”, “honey”, “sweetie”, and “dear”, by female cashiers and waitresses more times than I can remember. If you’re a woman, but want to be treated with the same respect as your male counterparts, don't bring flakiness and sexist language to work. By sexist language, I mean not calling anyone (co-workers or customers) using a pet name. You don't have permission to call me "hon!" And you don't have permission to touch me on the arm or the hand. You think you can get away with this behavior, because you're a woman. But, it's harassment. Corporations need to have a frank discussion with their female staff about appropriate language and behaviors in the work environment. Ending sexual harassment of women in the workplace starts with women.
3
Let's recap. Women want to be taken seriously for their talent, not their looks or sensuality. So, in presenting a united front, almost all the female attendees wore black.
But the front was often not united. Only the power of double-stick fashion tape kept multiple presenters from creating an X-rated show.
Sorry, ladies: You project what you clearly believe to be your most important attributes in that way, you ain't never gonna be taken seriously for anything else.
5
I do question when the fashion industry is going to be part of the reckoning of this movement. While individual women make their own choices about what to wear, the industry sets an overall standard of societal norms. It was difficult to focus on the earnestness of Geena Davis' remarks while she was wearing an outfit that exposed 75% of the front of her torso. Especially when there have been numerous reports of past abuses happening at post-awards parties. Doesn't it seem there are limits to how much of basic human nature can be controlled, especially when alcohol is involved?
The situation would be similar if Chris Hemsworth showed up in a form-fitting, plunging tank top and skin-tight pants. As a gay man, I'd enjoy the view, but wouldn't that diminish the focus on his talent and work? There just seems to be two completely different approaches here: men completely covered, women nearly completely uncovered. How on earth does that promote equality? It's such a throwback to a prior era, no matter what the color of the dress.
I loved what Frances McDormand chose. A simple navy, not black, gown, with minimal makeup and as my late mother would say, "homemade hair." ALL the focus was on her face, her words, her earnestness, passion and commitment to her craft. Please let her be the example of the "New Hollywood."
7
Thank you for pointing out what i so often notice/think. Everywhere we look in ads, movies, TV, and the real world, the women are more often than not, exposing themselves, while the men are covered up. And as a gay man, you may also know that many hetero men consider it 'borderline gay', if a hetero man were to show himself and his body off, much the same way most women do. In other words, if a hetero man were to plaster his IG account with selfies of himself in suggestive poses, or half-dressed, and looking for adulation (as, sadly, many young girls/women do), his hetero friends would question his sexual orientation. All the more so if he chose to wear a Speedo to the beach. lol (I always have to chuckle at prudish Americans! American women can go to the beach wearing 'nothing', and all is good with the world. But if an American man so much as wears a Speedo, it's like 'omg, hide the children!'.
So I agree with what you say. You have a real double-standard in how man and women present themselves...in their chosen attires.. And once again, it's women who are often doing this to themselves. The question is 'why'? Well I think we all know the answer to that. For as far as women have progressed, many of us still have this underlying belief that indeed, our value is in our looks. We compare ourselves to other women...wanting to know whether we are consider 'prettier' or 'sexier' than others. It takes a truly brave woman to be a pioneer, and not buy into this.
2
I'm a great admirer of the persistent and inclusive campaign against sexual predation now being waged by the women of the entertainment industry. But it will difficult for these efforts to succeed as long as the predator-in-chief is in office. So I was disappointed last night that no one took him on directly and by name: Donald Trump, Time's Up!
1
The problem I have with the giddy talk of Oprah possibly running for president is that it only highlights the massive economic disparities in the US. Only those super wealthy like Oprah actually have a choice to be able to contemplate a run for the presidency.
I'm sure there are a decent number of people in the US who have significant skills that would make them a successful president, but it's all irrelevant because they do not have the money or are not in a position to raise the billion plus dollars needed to run for president.
12
Let us all remember that change comes about when women and men working low paying , dead end jobs demand fair pay and respect in the work place, not when a group of overly privileged people dressed in expensive black clothing come together in an orgy of self congratulation - acknowledging that they had been silent for much too long.
14
Wow. Unless women are perfect, they must be silent? And by perfect, I mean they must simultaneously satisfy every single unreasonable demand that every member of the public makes of them, however conflicting those demands are?
Why are women expected to reach such levels of perfection when all that is asked of men is that they manage to not rape someone? And even then, if he's a good director, then who cares if he abused his stepdaughter or a 13 year old or dozens of actresses and lesser known people, then surely such offenses do not merit something like...boycotting his work. Refusing to work with him. Calling him out. Because women are not perfectly satisfying the demands of the public.
1
Let the Hunger Games begin. That’s about what it amounts to, because while no one is "there for the food", they are there for the wins. It’s all just really weird, and not entirely different than The Rich Kids of Tehran. Except at least the kids in Tehran don’t try to pretend they are there for the art. There are a few of these performers who are gifted, and many are talented, but the level to which they engage in self-appreciation and accolades -- it’s hard to watch. Which I didn’t, except for slices online. I did hear about (but didn’t listen to Oprah); I find it hard to believe she didn’t know about the abuse, so for her to come to this false rescue, and for people to be panting about a presidency - just not buying it. The last thing we need is another celebrity president. If we go there, we’ve fully entered the dying days of this nation.
14
As far as I go, they all looked ridiculous last night, taking a stand way after the fact, as well as in the safety of numbers and as such risking very little. Nothing could be easier. It just so happens that that was the in thing to do.
What a bunch of flakes. And now, they all back in their multi million dollar homes, taking with their reps wanting to know how many "likes" they amassed.
Life must be tough.
14
Better Ophrah than Mark. And both of them will be a great update on Trump anyway.
A beautiful and talented young person I know, who has a masters from a prestigious drama program and appeared on Broadway, was told she needed to get breast implants to be considered "serious about her career."
She refused. She was sent on no auditions for over a year, at which point her agent and manager both dropped her. She gave up acting and moved back home.
That was 3 years ago. This stuff is still going on.
10
And what is the point, exactly? That things should not be this way? The entertainment industry is predicated on the idea that people will pay to see actors who look beautiful, attractive, or sexy to them. That is the business the actors choose to go into.
Should the agent and manager have sent the woman to auditions in preference to others who also were talented and were more likely to get the part?
3
There is something incredibly dubious about this account. I’ve seen plenty of shows and plays on Broadway and see all types. Very few roles seem to call for a buxom blonde, or the costumes are quite forgiving for ensembles. There must also be more than one manager or agent in the city; and what about going to auditions yourself? Broadway goers are much more concerned with the conveyance of talent. Very strange!
1
The most humorous event of the evening came when the audience clapped for Tonya Harding. I guess woman on woman physical assaults (even if by proxy) are okay.
8
If you care so much about people, why didn't you take the money that it took to throw your self-congratulatory bash to aid the millions of people suffering in Puerto Rico? What have you done for the thousand of garment workers, many of them women, who make those black frocks you wore with such self-righteousness? Did any of you really do anything for those vulnerable women working in the hospitality industry like announce that you were boycotting hotel chains that could not prove they were paying their employees a living wage? Of course not. Right or Left -- you are all alike. You wallow in wealth while wrapping yourselves in some kind of pseudo-nobility.
17
One more nationally televised so called entertainment event that has been co-opted by the politics of the moment. Do a Special on women's rights, sexual harrassment, equal pay etc etc, but dont try yet another bait and switch play on America. The NFL did that and they got empty seats. Doesnt it feel at all oxymoronic that beautiful women protested the objectification of women by wearing little black dresses and high heels that showed off the very parts of their bodies that are the very object of objectification? Context, context, context.....
13
The fact that they are talking about this is a good thing.
I would have liked to see some acknowledgment of Rose McGowan. She, apparently, was not impressed.
4
Ms McGowan was not acknowledged by those, men and woman alike, mostly women since most men rightfully chose to let the woman speak, because most lacked her courage, men and woman alike.
3
As a life long feminist, I support any & all efforts to stop the old boys' club attitude of take what you want, from whom ever, when ever. However, sisters, especially, our celebrity sisters, look at the style of dress at the awards & the messages being sent to all. They are mixed to say the least. Wearing black, writing on you wrist etc does NOT say respect me as a person when your breasts are hanging out to be touched, when your skirt is slit up to the p---y that Trump boasts about grabbing & when your dance moves are all about being sexuality desirable. NO, I AM NOT BLAMING THE VICTIMS ! Beyonce has body guards, she's safe. She and her ilk aren't examples of safe behavior & dressing for women, but rather how to tease & to tantalize. No one is safe as long as sexuality is treated as a commodity instead of a gift between those who love. Show yourself the respect your talents deserve in order to be on firm ground in demanding it from the abusers. Stop trying to play the middle against the ends. i.e.: a little flirting to be noticed or given advantage over competitors only makes women vulnerable. Those without power are the ones abusers, rapists troll for & that is most of us.
15
I did like the cleavage, I did like the legs.
But I thought it was a rather odd juxtaposition with their alleged support of #MeToo.
Nothing says "resistance" and "woke" more than wearing a black dress cut to show off every body part from the neck to Nebraska? Apparently.
Don't worry fellow commentators. I'm already checking my privilege...
21
Love the black dresses. Now they know how guys feel.
3
I thought that Oprah speech was wonderful and particularly liked her emphasis on the plight of poor working women rather than only rich successful professionals. On the other hand I thought that Natalie Portman comment was below the belt and did not advance the me too movement cause. Nominations should given on the merit of the creation and not identity politics. Ms. Portman when given the chance to direct Amos Oz literary masterpiece, “A Tale of Love and Darkness” and she totally botched it. The movie was flat, banal, and missed the complexity of the protagonist mother character, the family relationships, and the father misery under the shadow of the famous historian uncle.
5
I was moved by the film and impressed with the acting. I have not read the book and may have been disappointed as you were if I had.
#black dresses matter
#ignore the cleavage
13
thanks Archer 717- next step , according to your logic, the burka. Talk about not getting it..
4
I am disappointed that the women didn't wear more modest, covered-up black dresses, or even tuxes to blend in with the men as equals. The whole point of the statement in black was missed by those women who wore provocative, skimpy dresses that revealed exactly what high-powered lawyers argue "leads men to believe that women are asking for it...."
It would have been even funnier, had the women been dressed as nuns of old...completely covered, including the head and the ankles.
18
Women shouldn't have to 'blend in with men' to be treated as equals. They should be treated equal regardless if they are wearing dresses or tuxes. And I don't think that nun outfits would be any better. Making women cover up and hide? Just look at how few rights middle eastern women have as their society's tell them to cover up.
4
I believe you may have missed my point. What I meant was that if the women has been more "modestly" clad or had gone over the top with their ploy, the men would understand our anger in a way that might get them to think, "Is that what women need to do in order to protect themselves from us vultures and octopi?" I think the collective male conscience would say, "Now we get it. We've been disrespecting women who make themselves more attractive to us. What is wrong with us men? Time to get a grip on our libidos!"
1
Why do women need to dress as men to be considered 'equal' to men?
Or as nuns? Why cannot a woman wear beautiful, flattering clothes and be taken seriously?
Why must women constantly be criticized for not .....doing this thing or that thing or for doing this thing or that thing?
I missed this. And will miss all future such displays. I never look at millionaires giving themselves awards. Things like that sparked the French Revolution. Here, people make bets on the outcome. While babbling about "The Resistance".
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
16
Who cares? The world has bigger problems. Hollywood has created a horrible american culture via their content and now they are now surprised by it's impact? Men and women have been behaving horribly in Hollywood for decades. Where was the outrage and black before? Hypocrisy and dismay Oh MY!
23
The world has bigger problems than the oppression of women in every walk of life, at home, at school, in the family? Hollywood is no different from any other workplace. There have been plenty of women speaking up for centuries, but it takes a certain set of circumstances to produce a moment where collectively we can be heard. This is that moment. But who cares about the woman who gave you birth, or her mother, or your wife if you have one, or your sister/niece/daughter/coworker/neighbor/etc? After all, they're just women and they have no real value, right? If they got raped/harassed/stalked/assaulted/molested/fired/beaten, well, the prevailing male wisdom is that they asked for it, right? Your comment only shows how blind you are to the reality for half the population round the world. This is the biggest problem. If women were more included, would we ruin the environment for our children? Would we rush to war? I tend to doubt we'd have such a violent, selfish world if women were allowed to participate fully. We're working on creating that chance, that opportunity now, and Hollywood is just one part of the whole picture.
12
Um, yes there are a few matters more important than the endless tawdry struggle for dominance between women and men that, in my anecdotal experience, is more often won by the woman. There are small matters of war and peace (women rarely fight wars, perhaps it seems less pressing, particularly to mothers of girls), food for everyone, not just the disadvantaged, protecting ourselves from the forces of predatory competitive capitalism, and saving our poor planet. Compared to those issues, a rude comment or a lewd suggestion doesn't merit much sympathy
3
Tsultrim, I do not believe for a minute that Hollywood is a locus for the "oppression of women." It is a place where both women and men can become rich and famous. If women there are complaining that men have greater opportunities there to become rich and famous than women do, I don't have much sympathy.
Salma Hayek complained that Harvey Weinstein forced her to include a sex scene in her film about Frida Kahlo (if I understand correctly). Is this an example of the oppression of women? For all I know, Weinstein correctly (or at least sincerely) thought that the film needed to be spiced up if it was going to sell tickets. And that is the business that the women and men of Hollywood have chosen to be in.
As far as women's being included in the world is concerned, the woman who gave me birth made, as a teacher and principal in the NYC schools, a deep and lasting impact on kids' lives. What's Hollywood in comparison with that?
5
I forgot to watch this bunch of self-aggrandizing actors and I'm not sorry. The all black dresses which were worn appear to be bland and unexciting. I use to watch for the fashion. What a disappointment! And they think they made a statement. Not!
10
I have a problem with the glorified Golden Globe theatrical activism that we all saw last night. I have a problem with the likes of Meryl Streep, Salma Hayek, Oprah et al. for that matter. These are powerful women with deep pockets.
I can't seem to reconcile how none of them dared to change something that was so obvious in Hollywood. Not even a social media condemnation before, nothing but now... they are all smiles and active participants of this theatrical activism.
I have a problem with this.. with this bandwagon of activism where people speak out and speak up only when it's on vogue
23
Re: "I have a problem with this.. with this bandwagon of activism where people speak out and speak up only when it's on vogue."
Women are speaking up NOW, not because it's on vogue, but because it is time. All things have their time. Women gained the right to vote in 1920 - not sooner. No woman was allowed to vote because she spoke up sooner. What you are calling "on vogue," is actually called a "movement." It begins small, and when the time is right, it grows. Anita Hill spoke out in 1991. Her accusations were dismissed. Social change takes time.
2
It was time to speak up 20 years ago or 30 years ago or whenever it originally happened. Better late than never I guess, but it starts to get suspicious after awhile. Not to minimize the issue, but believe it or not we have bigger problems, e.g. Trump, his evil cabal, Fox, Trump, etc.
I understand the need for climax as it pertains to timeline but there is no right and no wrong time. When any of the abuses happened (Asia Argento, Rosie McGowan) that was the time for Meryl Streel, Oprah, Natalie Portman, Salma Hayek et al to speak out, that was the time to socialize the systematic status quo of Hollywood. That was the time for women to come together and support one another. They didn't. It wasn't convenient to any of them. At the end of the day, you don't need the Golden Globes to start a movement. You start it at its genesis.
2
Did even one of these people contribute to Keesha's legal fund?
9
Enough already with this "woke" nonsense. Speak English!!! As for the black outfits and writing on the palms of your hands... good grief! How brave of you, how rebellious of you. Spoiled rotten egomaniacs posing for self-serving photo shots is not my idea of radical change.
28
English is constantly evolving. If you want to refuse to accept an extremely common word that no longer needs apostrophes ("woke") when its used by the leading journalistic outlet in the U.S., that's on you.
1
@J.G.
if i'm mistaken "woke" came about when several young black kids in the entertainment industry decided this would be a hip new "word". Nothing remotely to do with your claim. Besides this is not word evolution , it's de-evolution, just like how Hollywood, religion and politics have become.
1
Today the Times site has two videos and three articles on the Golden Globe Awards, an event that will soon be forgotten and of no social or cultural consequences for women or the country. Sorry, but the women of America are not looking to Hollywood for leadership on the pervasive problem of sexual harassment. All this copy for a lot of hot air!
11
And now more talk about Oprah running for president. She has about as much capability of being president as does Trump - meaning minus zero. The rest of the civilized world must be wondering if the air over the USA is poisoning our brains.
14
What a bunch of baloney. I could not care less what these people wear or what they say off the screen.
10
Jimmy Carter said that Western women are the only hope to raise women out of oppression around the world. Because we have the most freedoms. The Dalai Lama said something similar. Western Women!
The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards is telecast to 167 countries worldwide, and is the third most-watched awards show each year, behind the Oscars and the Grammy Awards. (source: Wikipedia)
Western women + global telecast = #timesup
Influence begins as a ripple, then a wave and grows into a tsunami.
5
And then they all got in their limousines, after assuring their trophy guests had lifts home, drove to their McMansions, feeling good about themselves and believing they did something brave, extraordinary, painful, difficult and momentous.
...while the rest of us roll our eyes at the comical self-delusions of the entertainment industry.
26
To those who poo-poo the political and societal relevance of "tinsel town" and beautiful gowns, consider the movie and Academy Award Oprah said opened her eyes: Lilies of the Field. The movie came out in 1963, it humanized and dignified Sydney Poitier and his character. and the following year the Civil Rights Act passed. Movies and movie-makers should not be underestimated; they are not just mindless entertainment. Movies are where we come to meet ourselves, review our historical failures and successes, and envision a better future.
10
So perhaps the women ought to cover up their personal body parts!
3
Not so long ago the golden globes was routinely mocked by all;now the Times covers it like it's the World Court. Says more about the Times than anything else. Depressing.
18
So what if E! doesn't believe in paying Catt Sadler as much as some man? Or if the entertainment industry doesn't have an incentive to pay women as much as men? Nobody has a right to be rich and famous. Sex sells. Anyone who chooses to go into the entertainment industry knows, or should know, what determines their profits, which is what people like to look at. Yes? If someone wants to pursue a line of work where they are rewarded proportionately to the good they actually do for humanity, they might consider alternatives.
2
Fool's gold.
The Black Dress was less about Hollywood victims avenging the Hollywood Weinsteins than craven arrivistes obscuring their Faustian bargain. The illusion of virtue, practiced so fastidiously by the theatre wing of the American Left, is key to understanding the funereal costume that cloaked the self-righteous coconspirators last night.
Meryl's Hollywood agitprop, with its false premises, phony pieties & outright lies—self-serving fantasy wrapped in sober documentary—is a verisimilitudinous contrivance that is pernicious, especially now, especially there, especially if we understand Tinseltown's real motivation.
Truth and courage as Streepian illusion: They speak words of victims they never were, words they failed to say when it really counted and when it would have actually cost them. Ex post facto courage is a preferred tactic of the abject coward.
Weinstein was the Hollywood elite's Riefenstahl moment. The Golden Globes was an opportunity for them to come clean. Instead, they cloaked their cowardice and complicity in The Black Dress.
38
Brilliant post, if I may say so. Rose McGowan has expressed similar feelings today, and who better to know?
6
The 1% trying to tell me how to live.
7
Why does Streep lack courage? She, and other actresses of her age have said they were unaware of what Weinstein was doing to the younger women. Do you have even one piece of empirical evidence/data, first, second or even third hand to dispute this? If so, please share it. If not, then you are the one guilty of contrivance, parading fantasy as fact.
3
The men let their Times Up pins do the talking for them because women in our industry have been very clear these past months that this is a time for women to speak and men to listen. We appreciate our mail allies for their willingness to do just that. This request reflects an understanding that for women to be heard more men, who have for too long taken up too much of the spotlight, actually need to step back and cede some of the space that history has given men, and particularly privileged white men, too much of at the rest of our expense. It also reflects a growing understanding of how little most men really know about the lived experience of the women they count as friends, allies, spouses, siblings, and children. Without exception, my mail friends have been surprised by how widespread the problem is. So much of it had been invisible to them, even as they were aware that gender parity and harassment and sexual violence is real. I don't know a single woman who was surprised (though quite a few of us are weary). As the actress Dana Delaney said early on, every woman experiences this kind of conduct, starting at puberty, so that by the time we are adults, it is just the water we swim in. This is a time for men to listen so that they can come up to speed about what our lives are like so that they can be the powerfully conscious allies that the moment requires. Last night, they followed the leadership of women, and that is the kind of woke this moment needs.
6
Is it possible that wealthy people should be required to listen to poor people? Is there any way that could avoid being fraudulent, or actually exploitive? What about children? There's a time in childhood for some people, much as society disdains the reality, when some young people start to realize that the adults most closely around them are in fact very bad people. For some this can start when they are very young. There are psychological issues involved in feminism that no one is willing to even begin to acknowledge. And there are issues of human rights that are whitewashed and obscured out of apparent existence - precisely by certain the hypocrisy and selectivity of the theatrical display of human rights concern.
2
Get back to me when "your industry" becomes interested in the problems of working class people, especially working class seniors, who are completely absent from your products.
1
Natalie Portman still doesnt get it.
Her remark is akin to giving every kid in school an award after a race. Everybody wins, and in the process ordinary becomes the new norm for success. No need to strive and be the best at what you do anymore and in the process, we all loose.
It wasnt that the nominess happen to be all male. It just so happened that they were "the best". Just like Oprah. She got an award because she is the best at what she does, and rightfully so.
15
You're right, and you're wrong.
I agree that the nominees were all male because they were the best among those who directed films. But Natalie has a point in that far fewer women are given the opportunity to direct.
The reason for that fact can be debated, but the fact remains.
5
You may be right. If so, the why not just make that point, eloquently, rather than snidely.
Mocking and disdain will not advance the cause. Quite the contrary.
6
I think she gets it just fine and it is you who are missing the point. Women are not asking for a participation trophy, they are asking for equal opportunities and a supportive system. It is not as if some years it is a mix of men and women, some years it is all women, and some years it is all men (as you would expect in a level playing field). Since the first Academy Awards in 1929, only four women have been nominated for the best director Oscar. Only 4! Are you trying to contend that men are genetically better at directing? If it were a one-off event, you may have a point. But ignoring history and the larger context means it is you who doesn't get it.
2
I watched a bit then turned it off. Hollywood's self congratulation and self-righteousness became unbearable. And the industry's deification of Oprah--a smart and impressive person, no doubt, but hardly God--had a whiff of mammy-ism. (All everyone wants is a hug from, and be saved by, the protective maternal black woman.)
Meanwhile, I await a more nuanced discussion of sex, sexism, and sexual violence and redress found through a legal and political system, not twitter and the public relations.
30
These actors may have come from humble beginnings, but now they are among the 1%. They couldn't speak out about their experiences because they might have lost their turn at the trough. Only when they would not miss their turn at getting all they could, then they spoke out from their perch at the top of the pigs.
Accept it, these people are part of the 1%.
5
Thank you. My thoughts exactly. I too don't get the adoration of all things Oprah, as if she is some type of deity (ditto for 'Queen Bey' / 'BeyDay')?? I mean, Oprah is terrific and all, but the way some folks consider her, it's as if she can speak in tongues and heal the sick.
Based on the current and rabid social media environment, I'm sure no Golden Globes attendee would not have dared to not wear black last night. Twitter is now a destination for providing those we deem offensive or to have sinned, with a virtual social pillory.
6
All black resembles a funeral, but for who? men?
2
Ladies: If you don't want us to put our hands on your bare shoulders, cover them. And if you don't want us to slip our hands within your cleavage, caver that too. With black or any other color cloth. We want to be good boys but we need your help.
6
"If you don't want us to slip our hands within your cleavage, cover that too" ... said the Imam to his flock.
4
And ya know why so many rape cases get tossed in court? "Lady, what were you wearing that evening?"
5
Seriously?
So what do you do when you go shopping - demand the stores cover up their "tempting" merchandise so you don't steal it? No, because that's ridiculous - as ridiculous as the notion that what we choose to wear is any kind of invitation to pick and choose what you want simply because you want it.
Guess your mama didn't teach you to keep your hands to yourself. Shame on you.
6
The very best part of last evening's telecast was that it felt as though Trump was in the rear view mirror, and a new day had dawned as Oprah spoke about respect for all and the necessity of a free press. It truly was the promised land.
3
So much fun watching this inbred group of Hollywood types congratulating themselves. Even more fun is realizing that they have no idea how out of touch they are with the majority of the American people. They jet around the world to hobnob with other global elitists. They have no idea what the single mother in Sheboygan is feeling or thinking.
20
One answer to Bob's claim that Hollywood is out of touch with Americans, or have no idea what mothers in Sheboygan are thinking or feeling: Three Billboard Outside Ebbing Missouri.
Oh how virtuous these Hollywood folks have become after years of being complicit in the harassment and even rape of women in their business. Do they still forgive Roman Polanski and they continuing to lobby for his pardon. Are they still supporting the predator who preyed on a teen age intern in the oval office (not to mention all they other women they failed to support). And how dare they attempt to dictate to ordinary citizens what is right and wrong and how to vote and think. They were silent until the NYT exposed them.
11
There is a really mixed message when women protest being objectified and then dress showing the maximum amount of their real, or maybe fake breasts. All the preening and primping that women must go to to appear at the show seems very much at odds with the message they are trying to send.
22
Black gowns are nice 'n all, but the change will come when there are no all-male categories, acting is a single category, and the Bechdel test will be a thing of the past.
I'm sick and tired of the sexism of Hollywood movies.
2
I can't help remembering a friend saying to me: "Be careful that you don't become what you hate."
8
Still having a hard time with the message of "don't objectify women" alongside "watch me dress like a sex object."
37
At least one of the white male winners should have said something like this: "Over the last few years I've watched and heard as my country continues its seemingly endless battles with racism and sexism. This last year especially I heard women speaking out about the abuse and discrimination they suffer as part of their daily lives - and what they say sounds exactly like what we hear from people of color. What women are saying now drives home the point that blacks and Latinos and Asians have been making forever. I'm a citizen of this country, so I can't help but live amidst this racism and sexism. But I cannot in good conscience knowingly participate in and benefit from it; and what advantages I have because of my race and gender are not a source of pride but of shame. And when I can, I believe I must reject these pernicious, catastrophic and too often fatal practices on which our society seems to be based. Seeing firsthand how my industry treats women and people of color, and finally hearing their stories loud and clear, I cannot in good conscience accept this award."
And then he should have put that award on the floor in front of the podium and walked away. That this did not happen tells me that far too many white men remain clueless when it comes to realizing how they personally benefit from racism and sexism.
3
As long as red-carpet coverage presents female entertainers as beauty pageant contestants, the sound of women's voice will be drowned out by the upward slits and downward plunges of their attire. The only thing that will bring about the required reformulation is the way the (news) media covers the (entertainment) media. Hollywood is about far more than just frothy flounce. It is, of course, an outsized, multi-billion dollar industry that squelches women's hopes for equal pay and equal regard. No change will end sexual abuse until reforms render sexual equality.
11
Oprah 2020?
No. Just no. No to the cult of personality slowly overtaking the executive branch. No to raw emotion over experience and deliberation. I’ve had enough of Trump; Winfrey is cut from similar cloth, albeit in different ideology.
I bet somewhere P.T. Barnum is cursing his bad luck that he died 100 years too soon. He’d be the perfect candidate to lead this three-ring circus.
14
I concur completely MDB. Being an effective and compelling performer does not automatically make one an effective politician.
Hasn't this country learned its lesson yet from the damage of Donald Trump and even Ronald Reagan (although he was an amazing and gifted orator (and actor when addressing the country).
Could we please not make the same mistake again?
7
Unfortunately, emotion is necessary to motivate most people. Gore and Clinton's losses are good evidence that intelligence + competence + deadpan delivery is quite vulnerable. Obama and Clinton were both competent, intelligent and charismatic. I was hoping Hillary would have chosen Oprah for VP, which would have given her great training for eventual run as President.
Why are there awards for actors and actresses?
Shouldn’t it be just one award?
Or is an affirmative action program for the men who otherwise couldn’t compete?
4
So apparently, one of the Kardashain was seen high fiving the person sitting next to her when Ms Portman diminhsed the contribution of five of the best directors.
It may have been Kim, who knows. They're all the same, neanderthals who collectively have dome more to diminish the perception and appreciation of women in Hollywood, all the while stigmatizing and objectifying women again and again and again, while getting exceedignly rich in the process of doing so.
And why is it that the overwhelmong majority of their fan base are women.
High five Kim! Hypocrisy knows no bounds.
10
When we stop looking to actors and entertainment professionals for political solutions in this country, we will all be better off for it.
7
I have mixed emotions about Oprah running for president.
Although she would be a beyond-vast improvement on the utterly unfit lowlife who now occasionally occupies the Oval Office, I would hate to see the presidency become a toy of the ultra-wealthy.
First and foremost, the next occupant of that office should be elected for her or his progressive policies that will undo the damage done by Trump and set us on a proper path into the modern, diverse, and inclusive age.
Second, we should take steps, like repealing Citizens United and enacting campaign finance reform, that will actually reduce the influence of money and bribes in our presently corrupt politics.
Finally, this would leave plenty of room in the short run for Oprah and other progressive persons of wealth to use their considerable assets and influence to support the election of persons who will secure the above goals.
1
I would hate to see another prezzz i dunce who has not had at least 10 years of public service in local, state, or federal governing bodies---legislature, city council, governor, etc.
Maybe we need an amendment to the presidential qualifications to ensure we never have another blaring Trumpet in the hot seat.
3
Trump is president first, then people are talking about Oprah? Who's next? Kim Kardashian? The latest winner from American Idol? Can we please, please have someone who's qualified next time? I think we've all seen what happens when we don't.
11
What would have satisfied you? Maybe if they'd worn sackcloth and ashes and sat on dungheaps instead of chairs? It's a televised awards show — frivolous by definition, that much more so when it's 89 mostly freelancers working other jobs who occasionally write pieces for the press back home.
I am sorry.. felt like Men Bashing by Women.. Not a Joke.. and does not look good for Women to go on the men Bashing rampage.. Just doesn't help the cause..
7
Yeah. Maybe in future years we can have black folk on stage berating the (primarily) white nominees, transgender presenters joking about the (primarily) 'heteronormative' nominees, and non-American presenters chiding the (primarily) US-based nominees (while members of each of those groups being berated, then laugh along with the joke for the cameras, to show how 'enlightened' and 'self-aware' they are). And then let's give everybody gold stars to wear on their foreheads for being so 'bold'.
3
Whatever the other implications, the dignified, understated outfits on the all-black-clad red carpet was a refreshing change from the designer schmattes usually worn on such occasions.
2
They were anything but understated. there was as much designer refinery as there always has been. The only difference was the lack of color. There was as much sheer "skin" showing; boob and cleavage showing; and bare feet
They were still schmattas, just less discussion about who created them.
4
It was a tricky night for the (foreign press) Golden Globes since Harvey Weinstein had often dominated the night with his independent, often foreign films. I think presenters and winners pulled it off as well as possible. And a real shout out to Seth Meyers who managed to make his monologue funny and address the awkwardness of the night without being awkward himself.
22
With the proliferation of social media and the inordinate influence it wields, we’ve seen people’s behaviors change, all for the ‘twitter camera’. Everything is now a selfie moment, either real or figuratively. The more you are in the public eye, the more likely you too may one day fall victim to an online tarring and feathering, unless you tread very carefully not to ‘offend’ anyone or set off the ire of anyone who has many Followers. Sadly, we have now come to understand this new reality only too well. Did the women attending the Golden Globes really have any choice NOT to wear black? We all know what a small town Hollywood is, so I’m certain that even those few, strong-minded women who did not want to wear black simply out of ‘pressure to do so’, that even they were very scared to be that ONE of FEW women who may not have worn black. I’m sure each female attendee was checking-in with other attendees…with their personal assistants, etc., to try and get a sense of whether or not anyone was willing to be an outlier. Clearly, it seems all or most female attendees decided the risk to her public persona was just too great, to not show up in black.
9
In your diatribe, you never explain why any of these women would not want to wear black. Believe it or not, sexual harassment crosses the political divide — conservatives have been piling on people like Weinstein as much as liberals. So explain why ANY woman wouldn't want to make the very slight protest of wearing black (the most flattering color anyway).
2
I'm female. As such, why would anyone on earth think that I, as a female, would not want women to be better considered, better treated as whole, by society and men? It is self-apparent. So I fail to see how my wearing black would 'say' anything, would 'accomplish' anything.
I take serious issue with the world in which we now live, and where Twitter has become a virtual 'village', complete with pillories, tarring and feathering, witch hunts, etc. Frankly, it is scary...the amount of power we have afforded Twitter. With the right timing, and the right 'Influencers' getting involved (i.e., those with many Followers, those who are celebrities, etc.), and using the most effective, catchy hashtags, mere mortals can effectively be 'taken out' in mere hours, their marriages, careers and social lives destroyed, with a few mere computer strokes.
2
It's a business. They all are in it for the money. If they can cash in on the biggest thing at the moment, they will.
The alarm has been ringing for decades, centuries, and they are suddenly "woke"? Suddenly, they are aware of injustice and cruelty to women and others? Only on TV. I guess we'll have to stay tuned for next season.
18
Women have been painfully aware of their abuse and dismissal for as long as it has been going on. The point of the current movement is to wake up the men to how they have unconsciously or consciously abused women, claimed power over and claimed the wealth, and to change our culture. We are taking steps now, just as we have at various times in the past. Some people need the "wake-up." Just as racism is institutionalized, so is sexism and misogyny. To some people, this is just "normal" and they can't see the problem. Thus a movement. That Hollywood is now using its visibility to advance the cause is to be celebrated, not mocked and dismissed.
1
I think you miss the point: It's not that they're suddenly aware of rampant sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and beyond; it's that they finally feel empowered to join together to call out the harassers without fear that it will end their careers.
3
Sorry, I'm not convinced. Go to Google, and you'll find plenty of pictures of many of the women you saw in the audience, including Oprah, smiling and hugging and kissing Harvey Weinstein at various awards shows, film festivals, and fundraisers. They all knew. Hollywood was absolutely silent until this whole #MeToo thing blew up, and now they're just doing what they always do - cashing in to make money.
The whole thing is a sham, honestly. How can these people pride themselves on being racially conscious and forward thinking, when they are responsible for shaping the public's negative perception of minorities? How many times have black actors won awards for playing slaves and maids? How often are Hispanics depicted as gangbangers who talk like Speedy Gonzales? Conservative whites from the Rust Belt aren't the ones making these movies.
I'll believe progress when I see it. I'm going to wait before showering the 1% with praise.
27
"The whole thing is a sham, honestly. How can these people pride themselves on being racially conscious and forward thinking, when they are responsible for shaping the public's negative perception of minorities? How many times have black actors won awards for playing slaves and maids?" Such a comment misconstrues what is happening in movies now. For so long making a movie about the truth of our history has been impossible. But now black actors are finally playing slaves and maids in ways that recall our history accurately, and so inform us about who we and they are, and about how society came to be what it is today. Consider movies about World War II: there are hundreds of movies combing through every last detail of that horrific time and yet no one criticizes actors for playing the role of - say - a Holocaust victim. Why is it wrong to make movies about slavery. It is a comparable stain on our nation. Why when we talk about World War II do we say "Never forget", but when it comes to slavery people say, "Forget about it!" The fact that modern Americans regard movies about slavery wrong is testament to the continued failure of our society to take a deep breath and a sober look backward into our own recent history likely because to do so would require us to feel deep sorrow and regret and compassion for what we did and for how our victims still suffer. I for one am glad that movies are finally coming out about slavery; we are due for a reckoning, and a flood of tears.
3
If someone like Donald Trump can be elected, then surely a woman who spent her career exploiting women for her own personal gain can win too.
11
Well, I'm a die-hard progressive but no way, shape or form would I vote for Oprah if she campaigns to be President of the United States.
Why are Americans so dim, so anti-intellectual, so poorly educated that they can be suckered into voting for B-list celebrities who've never held elected office?
39
I agree, however, Oprah is DEF not B list- she’s top of the A list, a level of celebrity that Trump only dreamt of
@ Kosher: Easy. Lack of education, lack of critical thinking skills, lack of knowledge of and boredom with history, willingness to follow, and Andy Warhol’s observation about five minutes of fame. You noted some of those, but the bottom line is intellectual laziness.
Beatles 1964, or the latest crush on a celeb-turned-pol? Really can’t tell the difference anymore.
It says something, doesn’t it, that we’re even seriously discussing such a bid?
When the women's movement started in the 1960's, it used to be that women simply wanted equal opportunity and pay in the workplace. Fine. Progress was made, not 100%, but a lot was made.
Now it appears that the ultimate goal of the women's movement is to manipulate affirmative action to the hilt and to encourage playing the victim card whenever possible.
Sexual harassment is a prevalent problem, not a question. But women are trivialized when they demand to be elected, or hired, or be given special considerations just because they're women, and no other reason. And if it doesn't happen, we get charges of "Misogyny!"
The Snowflake Culture of demanding safe spaces and walking on eggshells to avoid hurt feelings destroys any notion of being able to undertake any kind of leadership role.
Now Hollywood is under the gun to automatically give a trophy to a woman director, not because she may have done the best the directing, but because of two X chromosomes.
25
The fact that you appear to be a woman makes this more of a "jaw dropper" than usual. If you are part of the vast minority of women never treated poorly because of gender, are equally paid and promoted in comparison to males, if you were never harassed sexually by a stranger / someone known to you - then I get how you might write this comment.
The door has been closed to women. It cracks open on occasion, but look at the stats. Fortune 500's do not hire women to top spots. Misogyny ruled the day and caused the mess in the White House. The nation's tops news people at the network channels have been bounced for disgraceful and dehumanizing behavior, not to mention the same at sports channels and National Public Radio. Women have NOT been recognized as being valuable or equal.
We finally have our moment -- and if it feels a little like affirmative action - good. Honestly, whatever it takes at this moment to be heard, and recognized and respected is good enough for me. Our daughters, and sons, deserve it.
3
did you watch the broadcast? do female directors were nominated. before you rant, know.
It might help you to volunteer at the local safehouse. When I worked at ours, I saw no "snowflakes." As for rewarding directors, the point is to include women as a start, not continue to exclude. Let's get there first. Then you can complain if only women are nominated year after year.
4
OK, about that black-dress solidarity movement: just like Scarlett O'Hara wearing crimson at a party where most women were dressed more demurely, some of the actresses (ahem, Catherine Zeta-Jones) chose to kick it up a notch by wearing the least amount of black permissable...
Perhaps it would have meant a bit more if (just this once...because I like glamour just like the rest of us movie fans) all the actresses had worn the *same* dress to the event. Like, something simple from Target. THAT would have been a nice "up yours!" to an industry that holds women up to impossible standards, and judges them primarily on looks.
24
What’s the use of fighting the symptoms if the cultural causes of the disease are considered a positive aspect of our society, and our Heroes’ symbolic behavior considered a model. Everybody involved in education, and prevention, should read about the origin of sexual harassment, rape and femicide. Something happened in history, not so long ago, and human behavior changed. When? What? How do we know? The myths and the fables tell stories that never happened yet are happening every day, everywhere. If a college kid is able to understand that the Big Bad Wolf does not want to eat Little Red Riding Hood, then he should be able to find out that Ulysses was a gang rapist, Hercules was a femicide, like Saint George: they defeated the Monster, the Cyclop, the Dragon, i.e. the Woman. Symbolic tales explain how Patriarchy defeated Matriarchy 6.000 years ago. But the myths and the fables influence our subconscious, conditioning our social behavior. So college kids (and most of their teachers and parents) should read a light yet very serious essay: “Our Lady Goddess & The Femicide of the Heroes” available for free on a San Francisco academic site: https://independent.academia.edu/JeanSantilli)
3
try to do something for the greater good and all you get is nasty responses. Nobody is 100% perfect. they may be rich & famous but at least they did something, and helped moved the conversation forward.
For all those criticizing the movement: what have you done lately?
15
Yes, let's elect a billionaire whose public identity is entirely due to her success in the entertainment field.
Who needs competence or experience?
What could go wrong?
15
Hardly comparable. Oprah founded and runs a production company and is an icon for positive change. She earned every penny of her money, beginning with a small salary and a dream; she inherited nothing but a strong work ethic. She created her show and made it successful by surrounding herself with competence, beginning at the top. That experience may or may not make a successful presidency but it would not embarrass us every day.
8
We're trying to raise the bar off the ground, and back to where it was, which is far above Oprah's ability to jump. Unfortunately, Obama and Trump have shown us that celebrity is more powerful than relevant experience when appealing to the electorate.
4
Don't forget she was a tool for corporate America, pandering to women in their homes as they work and live in the service of men. No woman has profited more than Oprah, on the backs of women and their inherent victimization.
The Globes are not "woke" enough if they can ignore the incredibly gifted Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya, as well as Issa Rae's ground-breaking series.
3
The notion that the rest of the country needs to have its consciousness awoken by New York and California borders on self-parody. More than borders.
12
Mike - I actually don't think that is true anymore. Case in point: Trump won. New York and California certainly would never let that happen!
The men of this country are having their consciousness raised by the actions of women in all walks of life. Get with the program.
I'm hopeful that you believe that Mr Livingston. The only problem is that the "rest of the country" put our current president in office.
2
Oprah, I believe, might be able to squeak out a narrow win over Trump or Pence in 2020. But however it went, the country would remain bitterly divided. Probably even worse than before.
7
It's so telling to see all the men who rush to comment when women start speaking up. One commenter actually admonished women for wearing 'revealing' clothes. I can only hope to God there is a new day dawning for these men. You've had all the cake and you're going to have to start sharing and go on a diet.
9
Exactly how many hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on sparkling black gowns meant to be worn as a protest against sexual harassment. And what exactly is the purpose of the red carpet anyway if not accentuate the female stars' sexuality. A real protest would have had the women show up in black pants and T-Shirts. After all these are supposed to be artistic awards, not best looking on the red carpet awards. The resistance of the privileged could not quite overcome the superficiality of the occasion.
16
Agreed, but you’re kidding yourself if you think ANY of those women pay for those dresses- designers compete to have a starlet wear their gowns on a red carpet, no money required
1
I find the wearing of gowns a more powerful statement. That's what female celebrities do on the red carpet. No shame, no apologies. That's power.
2
Oprah for 2020. That all but guarantees 4 more years of GOP carnage.
The right are laughing themselves into giddy euphoria.
Please, just stop now.
8
This was like watching an expanded version of the ad on TV with the "TV Doctors of America." These people are actors who play roles. That's all. When Jessica Lange was allowed to testify before Congress about farm issues, the floodgates opened. It's great that women can try to get off the casting couch. Expect it to continue if they want to keep working, though. It's comical how they claim shock that it happens. Weinstein, Lauer, et al. have been the worst-kept secrets in history. Pay to play, just like politics and business. But, these people are not think tank material. Oprah for President? Don't we have a big enough problem with the current no-nothing celebrity? Now, shut up, and entertain me.
5
I agree with you TexasR that being a talented actor does not qualify you for high office. But I'm afraid that I know a lot of Republicans who voted for - and continue to have great respect for - a certain actor from California who became president in 1980. Some of those same people are currently scoffing at the idea that a media mogul could be a successful candidate.
6
You mean an actor who, before being elected POTUS, was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (securing valuable residual payments for performers during his tenure) and served two terms as Governor of California? Hardly a fair comparison.
1
It was a good evening, and I was thankful that Hollywood left politics and the anti-Trump rants home.
2
Some were victims. Some were enablers. And (like the movie title) Some Can Running.
1
Time's up they say?
President Obama, who was too slow to acknowledge and appropriately condemn the Harvey Weinstein matter will be David Lettermen's first guest on his new Netflix produced talk show. Netflix and Lettermen, both with their own salacious history and patterns of abuse of power and here comes Obama to bless them both. Time doesn't appear to be up for everyone who fouls, or at least Harvey now knows the waiting period for redemption.
3
I can understand the passion felt by Oprah Winfrey's words last night. She is a gifted and moving speaker. But a passionate speech does not a president make.
Without having any direct political experience, I would hope that Ms. Winfrey knows that she is no more qualified to be president than Donald Trump is.
By now the country (and the world) should be painfully aware of the mistake that was made in November 2016. Please stop with the notion of "Pollyanna Politics" with Oprah at the helm. It's a wonderful pipedream when once we wake up, it could be another potential disastrous nightmare like the one we are currently living with. #Experience Matters!
12
Brava to Jessica Chastain who delivered the belly laugh of the evening. If Hollywood committed to just making this change (older men, younger women spouses and partners). We would be taking our first BABY step toward equality. Next, all men and women in Hollywood should commit to portraying American women in films and on TV as they are (all sizes, colors and not the conventional "perfect'). If the women last night had had the courage to appear in simple house dresses or red robes and white hoods instead of designer evening wear, it would have been a much more effective statement.
22
Why "should" those in Hollywood commit to portraying women, or anyone, as they are? Isn't it a business that provides people with entertainment they want to see? It sounds to me like you regard Hollywood as an instrument for the furtherance of social change and that its role is to supply propaganda.
Eh, then we would have heard about how...unattractive they were. How empty a gesture. Awards ceremonies are occasions for dressing up.
Apparently, women standing up and speaking up is an occasion for nitpicking and fault finding instead of listening, hearing, and introspection.
I was inspired last night and Oprah's speech was electrifying. I'm sorry for the naysayers but they will always be out there. Ignore them and carry on. It's their job to maintain the status quo and we mustn't let that happen.
See y'all on January 20th for Women's March 2.0. Resist.
19
Jennifer: please tell me, "resist" what? Tax reform for the middle class; lowest black unemployment rate in decades; record-breaking stock market and 401k's; two million less people on food stamps; etc. What exactly are you protesting?
7
jen , i think that oprah would be better then trump.
1
Thank you. I am beyond tired of these lame hashtags. #Resist is now used as a selling point, by (often) millennial young women who consider themselves 'feminist' because they travel in packs to marches and wear Pink Hats and then post selfies all over social media ('wow, aren't you great to be out there marching!')....'GRRRLLL Power'....'Resist'.... Then they use these same mantras and images to promote their blogs, their books, their Etsy products enscribed with the words 'Feminist' or 'Resist', etc. It's all so transparent and vacuous. #sheeple
1
Its disappointing to read so many of these comments. Yes these folks are privileged and risking little since they are successful and have the insurance of many millions in the bank. So what, why should we pooh-pooh their efforts. Yes they can take a stand b/c of their power and millions that makes sense.
Should we expect the poor hourly worker who lives pay check to pay check to take the risk, no. Even someone like myself was, with advanced degrees, was in the position to report a serial harasser and I opted not to. I was at the beginning of my career and didn't want to risk it. Women who are harassed are not at fault and they are not at fault when they make an economical decision not to report.
19
I have been a fan of Oprah for many years and I admire her willingness to share various aspects of her life in a public forum. However, can we please elect Presidents with government experience, at the state or federal level. I think this is key in helping to ensure that we have knowledgeable candidates who understand the inner workings of government.
55
Better yet, develop committed, knowledgable candidates at the grassroots level. People can still effect change while understanding how the process works, yet not be the stereotypical establishment pols.
Running purely on emotion, as Trump is and Winfrey wants to do, iis NOT good governance.
Don’t let the office of the President devolve into a reality show, or worse yet, a sit-com. We’re already well on our way to both.
22
Yes! No more entry-level presidents! IF Oprah wants to run, let her run for state senator first.
4
Kind of funny too that the all-black gowns, in memoriam of sexually harassed women, generally showed as much cleavage as possible, or were skin-tight and so on. Seems a tad ironic to me, maybe a better protest would have been for women to dress in tuxedos, which are completely unrevealing.
I think half-woke also applies to the entire #metoo movement. So far it's all been about how men in powerful positions act so heinously towards women, and a few of them towards men. And this is a terrible thing indeed, something to be changed, though wearing low-cut black dresses will not change it.
None of the movement is yet concentrating on the other half: why don't women defend themselves? Why don't these things get reported when they happen, rather than a decade later? Why do so many of these victims see themselves as victims, why don't they fight back?
So y'all can feel free to vilify me for pointing this out, but I'd like to mention too that I never harass women at all, and I've stepped into a few confrontations to stop men from abusing women. And what I'm trying to point out to women is, they're not forced to be victims by being women. They can fight back, speak out, and defeat these troglodytic men.
37
Agree completely, though I will point out that some of the women did appear to take it past simply wearing sexy black. Salma Hayek in her long sleeved, up to the neck dress, looking like some sort of priestess, for one, and Frances McDormand, who looked, in her too-large, pleated, high necked dress and her haphazard hair and no makeup, like she was trying to look as frumpy as possible.
1
Women should dress as men in tuxedos? We're not afraid of our bodies. It's you men who constantly sexualize us.
And obviously you haven't yet read about why women "don't speak out." Seems to me that's exactly what we are doing, speaking out. And if you listen to or read the entirety of Oprah Winfrey's speech, you hear about a woman who was raped by six men and threatened into silence. The men were not prosecuted. Just like the woman who was raped by Donald Trump when she was 13, who has a witness, but has been threatened with death to her and her family if she sues or speaks out. Terrorism is what keeps women from speaking out, male terrorism. Yet, nevertheless, we persist.
8
You obviously didn't listen. ("why don't they defend themselves?") It's because they have bills to pay, children to raise, family to care for. It's because men are in charge of the jobs, and men are not yet ready to admit how widespread the cancer of abuse it. And because most men refuse to accept that there could possibly be a reason women wouldn't report it. And, lastly, because men won't believe them when they do report, and blame the victim for wearing suggestive clothing, as you did.
5
Oooooo! They made a statement. I'm so impressed.
13
Not nearly as impressed, I'll be bound, as they are with themselves.
1
Mocking women is so last year.
2
Uh huh.
I used to work a hospital emergency department. Of all of the domestic abuse injuries we saw the worst were committed by women. A few men were shot right in the junk by their women lovers. One woman ran her man through with a dull (!) wide blade machete, in the chest and out the back. The front entry wound was jagged and about 1.75 inches long. It was like stabbing someone with a big butter knife.
40% of domestic abuse injuries are against men by women (FBI statistics). Women initiate violence against their partners, when there is violence, 70% of the time.
Stop accusing women of staying quiet in the past.
Stop making fun of people dressed to the nines for the golden globes. Most of them have put up with a lot of garbage to get where they are today.
Stop complaining that glamorizing #me too gets attention - it's getting more attention than hugging trees in birkenstocks.
Turning against the complainers is what the men at fault want you to do. The men who perpetrated these crimes are at fault.
It will take many different kinds of efforts to normalize equality and make bigotry and chauvinism unpopular. The passive glamour of #metoo is just a way to open eyes that are very hard to open.
53
I don't mind people dressing to the nines for the Golden Globes. I mind them doing so while treating an arts award show like a lecture series at Berkeley, and, by the way, overlooking first-rate films for third-rate ones that just happen to reflect the mood of the moment - and not for the first time, either.
I can and do get endless progressive lectures from the TIMES editorial board, The Guardian, The Atlantic, PBS News Hour, the BBC, etc. I watch the Golden Globes to see artistic merit awarded. The tedium was outrageous and the self-congratulatory sanctimony on display made me turn the show off after ten minutes. And that was just ten minutes of the Red Carpet section.
Yes, we know performing artists are driven. But no one forced anyone to become an actor instead of a schoolteacher.
5
We old-time Feminists were fighting "Beautyism", male-dictated physical appearance criteria and sexual harassment in the late Sixties - and ever since. Millennials and celebs didn't invent metoo.
Right on! Let's start at the top with the sex-abuser-in-chief handiwork our way to the bottom dwellers in the swamp. 2018 will be a good start, and we can finish it in 2020 (if not before).
1
They all knew about Weinstein and stood up in front of him year after year and said nothing. They are sooo brave now saying the only thing that is even acceptable to say. Hollywood is fully of shallow materialistic self-centered professional liars that will talk and sleep their way to money, power, celebrity, anything. Oprah is still in the closet talking about honesty. Nothing has changed in the world except their stock portfolios are getting bigger and they are talking about wanting to drive off a cliff........child, please.
26
This comment shows how much more work we are still facing in the eradication of misogyny in our culture. Stereotyping the entertainment industry, blaming women for their own victimization, etc., etc. How unintelligent, unperceptive, and unsupportive. We will be changing our society regardless of mindsets like this one.
3
This entire show was half boring and half advertising and totally colorless.
15
"Woke" is a particularly lame neologism.
25
The #MeToo movement is quickly becoming the #LookAtMe movement. The last thing we need is to have this social problem trivialized. I guess the lapel ribbons have become passe (or else another cause has trademarked their use).
And Natalie Portman, in her remarks before presenting the Best Director Globe that immediately followed Winfrey’s speech, had to snarkily point out that all the nominees were men. Why do that? Why effectively undercut Winfrey’s remarks? No further mic drop was needed. Winfrey made the point, and made it quite well.
Not all men deserve vilification, and not all women directors merit a major film award. This is what I mean by tearing down an important and worthy cause by taking the indignation a bit too far. It alienates after awhile.
50
Why point out that all the best director nominees were men? Because the "best film" of the year (Lady Bird) was written and directed by a woman, and the "best actress" won for her peformance in that film, but the woman that directed the film was not nominated in the best director category. Doesn't seem to make sense.
11
Portman's "snark" is entirely called for. We will continue to point out the problems until they are eradicated.
2
Please explain what inherently causes 51% of the population to be "9 percent of directors, 11 percent of writers, 20 percent of executive producers, 26 percent of producers, 22 percent of editors and only 6 percent of cinematographers". We'll wait.
4
"And at the awards, by and large, the men — half of any gender dynamic in Hollywood or elsewhere — let their “Time’s Up” pins do the talking"
"Again, the women fielded a lot more of those questions than the men."
Both reporters knocked the men for not speaking out more at the Golden Globe awards last night. Yet...what we've been hearing for the last several weeks and months is that men need to stop speaking and start listening more. So what is it? Speak up or be quiet and listen? You can't have it both ways.
15
Of course sexual harassment and rape are horrible and it’s nice that Hollywood seems to be waking up about such behaviors. The idea that incredibly wealthy women wearing incredibly expensive dresses (some slit up to here and down to there and barely covering anything) is a protest is humorous. Not that modest clothing prevents assault, however dressing so provocatively seems counterintuitive if one wants to be taken seriously. BTW most women in the NYC area wear black all the time.
38
The women of Hollywood used their venue and culture to make a profound statement last night. I'm sorry you missed it. That women wear black in their day-to-day lives does not diminish the point of wearing it last night. As far as the elegance and show of the red carpet goes, that is what our entertainment culture is about. I say, use whatever you have to get the point across. There was nothing humorous or counterproductive about the gowns last night. In fact, I saw them as courageous and real, and I took them all very, very seriously. Not afraid to be who they are, these women demonstrated power.
4
I understood exactly what they were trying to do and the fact that NYC women wear black was just a toss out. Courage not so sure. They were rich and famous and will continue to be so. That’s fine for them in their world and I wish them well. Most of us do not inhabit that world.
The Bots are out today and were last night, tweeting and now they are commenting against the "Lefty hypocrites"......I will take a "Lefty hypocrite" over a hypocrite pretending to be "pro-life-Christian"!
These folks artists, they are citizens and have every right to express their views just as the rest of us do! The message last night was clear, Time is up, on misogyny and predators better take note, we won't be silenced anymore.
Ms. Winfrey's speech was powerful and brilliant, spoke truth! If you don't like it, fine, don't watch!
#TimesUp
16
The Globes for the first time in years was boring... off putting and just starnge. It seemed that seriousnees was to be the order of the day and morality would rule. Everybody in the audience seemed to be waiting for the big "harassment" speech. But 2 things struck me most: Why did Allison Janney promote Tonya Harding as a feminist icon when she was nothing more than a female sexual predator(good movie... bad person)? And if Hollywood was such a bastion of harassment, why have so few actors spoken up?
3
Allison Janney said nothing about Tonya Harding being a feminist icon. This is what she said: “I would just like to thank Tonya for sharing her story … What this movie did is tell a story about class in America, tell a story about the disenfranchised, tell a story about a woman who was not embraced for her individuality, tell a story about truth and the perception of truth in the media, and truths we all tell ourselves when we wake up in bed every morning and go out and live our lives. It’s an extraordinary movie, I’m so proud of it.”
12
JP
At the center of this "extraordinary movie" is a woman who was involved in battering her female opponent... What is the difference between her and Harvey Feinstein?
1
Have you seen the film? It is not celebrating the incident. That's not what this (or any responsible film about a crime and the situation surrounding it) is doing. Harding and her co-conspirators did a very bad famous thing (and lots of other bad things) and the film makes it clear what a series of wrong things can do. It is an engaging story of how out of control some people's lives can get and the consequences thereof. Not once does Janney (or the film) say "be like Tonya" or prommote her way of doing things. Does it make you think twice about what others' lives can be like? Yep. Does it make you think that the world would be better if these people were / became / different? Yup. Someone will make a movie about Harvey Weinstein (just like they did about Leopold and Loeb, Bernie Madoff, Henry Hill, Whitey Bulger, etc...) None of them are instructional videos or hero-worship, nor was this film. As your premise is flawed, so all of your conclusions are suspect.
The #MeToo moment is having its moment. It will pass. And things will get back to the usual normal. Why anyone thinks the rights of women have turned a corner baffles me. I've been living in this country for a long time. It was built on the abuse of others. Like most countries in world history, it will continue the way it began.
#GetReal
7
When did actors, narcissists, exhibitionists, etc. become who we go to for deep sociopolitical thought? I found last night's speechifying to be on the reductive, simplistic, and self-congratulatory; but then, those seem to be the qualities now appreciated in our "public intellectuals."
10
I'm not sure you understand the point of filmmaking beyond mere entertainment.
3
In case you haven't noticed--and evidently you haven't--actors are human beings. Acting is a job and actors are often very bright, very compassionate people. Not always, but certainly as often as people are in other industries. And, they hold the same rights to free speech and thought as the rest of us. I'll take Oprah's speech from last night over just about anything Donald Trump says, any day. Do you deplore his speaking in the same way you deplore the speech of entertainers? I'll take the good thought and intelligent insight from anyone who can offer it.
3
You ask "Do you deplore his speaking in the same way you deplore the speech of entertainers?"
No. I deplore it much more.
You state "I'll take the good thought and intelligent insight from anyone who can offer it."
That's fine. And I'll maintain that last night's posing was neither good thought nor intelligent. You and I may agree that we have different standards for intelligence.
It makes me mildly nauseous that the epicenter of sexual harassment (the casting couch has been there since talking movies began) seems to believe it can insulate and exculpate itself by wearing basic black, actually very chic black, for one evening. I watched and listened to the entire show but did not hear one apology. I heard a lot of calls for support for the victims of assault and the (correct) assertion that this is a pervasive problem in all industries. Time was up for segregation decades ago but de facto segregation remains a blight in our nation. Eternal vigilance is the price of more than liberty.
4
A man asking women to apologize for a man's crime? Makes sense.
You've got to love a red carpet full of women making a "bold statement" about sexism in the entertainment industry by wearing black dresses that expose more cleavage than the Grand Canyon...
Or, were they trying to be "ironic"?
This is just more emtpy-headed "hashtag activism," that accomplishes nothing. Let these people do something to help people who don't live in their rarefied space, then anything of it might mean something.
But, no, these are rich, famous people who are drawing attention to themselves, because that is what they live for. They want adulation and they want to make the absolute least effort to get it. Wearing a black dress that puts their goods on display at a fancy Hollywood awards show is most certainly the least they can do to achieve their end.
The emptiness of the gesture is mind-numbing. That nothing will really change is both sad and inevitable. But, when you try to make change by wearing a $10,000 Versace gown on your way to a vacuous festival of ego and narcissism, well, what do you expect?
Empty heads and empty gestures. Yeah, seems about right for the Hollywood brain trust, don't ya think?
43
They were going to wear expensive clothes anyway. Picking a specific color to make their views public was designed to get people talking about it. They did. You are.
4
And, tomorrow (literally tomorrow, by the way) nobody will remember this bit of activist fluff and it will make no - as in zero - difference at all. So, what's the point, except to get attention for themselves? Simple: The point *is* to get attention for themselves, since the clothes are all anybody is going to remember about this in just a day or two. Again: sad, but inevitable. Sorry, but that's the way things are. Superficial "protests" like this never make any difference and this one will be no different.
JP, you seem to be missing the point
I have now read about the "notable silence" of the men at the globes in three different articles. Not three weeks ago, I read countless exclaimations that this was WOMEN'S time to talk and that it was men's time to listen.
As a feminist, and a person who believes that we need men as allies in this movement, I have one question: Are the me supposed to speak or not? Has the time since changed? If so, we need to let the men know we expect them to give up their vow of silence instead of tacitly nodding at their lack of participation shortly after telling them to sit down and shut up.
You can't expect to have good allies if you are not one yourself.
13
Men should listen right now, and listen deeply. They should speak to support, but not to define, and that might take a little self-listening to overcome cultural patterns of speech and assumption. We can do this.
2
It's difficult to be lyched in PC America unless you say something tasteless, so no doubt the smarter ones hoping to stay in favor are keeping their mouths shut. unless of course it becomes a public crime NOT to say something.
Please tell me why ANY low or middle income American should care about "victimization" among Bel Air dwelling uber yuppies.
24
Oh, several reasons... Let's see - maybe they mostly want you upper middle class people to care so that you'll be more aware of the even more prevalent such behavior in all the other walks of life... Maybe they have a very public voice that can spread the word more effectively than some unknown person, and maybe, just maybe... some of those low income people will see a goal and an offer of "we got your back" rather than "stay down" and become Leighton Meester (mom in prison) Elvis (on welfare), Oprah herself, or any of the other once-poor stars you could also Google...
3
You haven't seen the letter signed by 700,000 female farmworkers thanking the Time's Up group for their efforts. Get educated before you open your mouth.
1
Because women recognize that if it can happen even to movie stars, it happens to all. And if movie stars are fighting back, perhaps they can too.
2
I don't know where all of this will end up, but I am sick of all the negative, "why didn't they do it better/differently/sooner etc.," comments so many are making. Who cares: THEY'RE DOING IT NOW. And very few people (i.e., MEN) in power helped organize or support what these women in black championed last night. Who cares whether anyone thinks wearing black dresses is the "right" way to make a statement. The fact is that it gave a clear and obvious message that visually speaks as one voice and it got the movement attention. And, by the way, it's not unlike other cultural statements made by groups that gave way to lasting revolutionary change: Remember the beats in straight skirts & black tights, or hippies with long hair and tie-dye, or the Suffragettes in white?? Black gowns at the Globes is fine with me. The important part now is getting the men who agree to have what it takes to GET OFF THE SIDELINES. And if they don't, to kick them out of the way.
14
Thanks for this comment.
Viola Davis looked fantastic! Double wow!
3
Ms. Winfrey is an admirable person. Her work and credibility make a worthwhile and necessary contribution to our country. Speaking up is what citizens should do. But giving a rousing speech does not qualify someone to run for president.
#Qualifications Matter.
82
Dear Deborah,
Exactly right. We're seeing right now what it's like when an unqualified person gets elected. Oprah Winfrey is definitely much smarter than Trump, as are all of us, and she's more compassionate, informed, well-spoken, thoughtful, and all sorts of other good qualities. But she has never governed anything, and would have no idea who to choose for defense secretary and so forth. For our next president in 2021, we need a woman who has been involved in government for years, not just a smart, likeable woman.
15
I'm not necessarily recommending Oprah for President. But to ding her as unqualified and incapable of governing is a gross misrepresentation. She has run corporations, she has begun philanthropies, and is a born leader. She is a TRUE self-made person, not one whose father gave her millions to become one. She has begun businesses and mentored others to begin their own. She is intelligent and has gravitas that translates to leadership qualities we could only dream of right now. She is well-respected around the world. Governing and negotiating would be a piece of cake for her.
I note that most of the naysayers on this thread are...wait for it....men. "Boring", "Not fun", "Superficial" are the things being said about this event. Some are trying to say that these black dresses and speeches will fade and everyone will go back to their businesses today. I think not. This movement is growing under your noses sirs, and there are PLENTY of previously helpless-feeling women and men out there who are actively seeking office, getting others to go to the voting booth, and speaking out against suppression, bigotry, predation, and oppression. And now that we're motivated, we will NOT stop until there's leadership in this country that has HOPE for a better world where we all cooperate to the best (not worst) of our abilities. One where we can be a proud nation once again.
22
Please volunteer to read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights TO Mr T. Maybe a reading comprehension test should be administered to would be Presidential candidates... Yes, Qualifications Matter, that's why we are here. An unqualified person is sitting right there in the Oval Office.
2
The Awards ceremony was hopeful and at least shed some light on years of darkness and despair. Regardless of your own personal views on Hollywood, the industry has a huge impact on the nation's culture. Let's find ways to harness this new found energy instead of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Who really cares if the men just wore the 'Time Up' lapels. It's a start.
9
I've found that even if people want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, if you do so towards a screen door, the screen will let the water through but the baby will stay inside, so it works out fine.
Entertainment Awards ceremonies always have multiples narratives playing at the same time. There are narratives about technical achievement, entertainment value, individual performance recognition, powerful stories and about the business side. The multiple narratives make for awkward moments and incomplete stories.
But the anger of the women employees in the industry was palpable. And that was interesting.
7
I'd accept this as a valid protest if they did it before Harvey got caught. Sadly, a lot of them knew, now want to wear lapels and say 'Times Up.'. Time was up a long time ago, not just after Harvey gets caught groping everyone.
Too little too late.
18
And your contribution was ???
5
It's never too late to try to right a wrong and to prevent it from happening again.
13
Gal Gadot was strikingly beautiful as well as the best dressed. Her choice of black was perfectly elegant and politically appropriate,
4
Please, please stop with the idea of Oprah running for president. She is an admirable, intelligent woman, but that's not enough.
We need someone with experience in government, not another celebrity. It's not a popularity contest!
138
What?
You don't want one of the Kardashians or Kanye West running for government positions?
1
but she's a "Woke" woman. Ha ha. For the know it all left, that's all that matters.
Me too? Oprah knew all about Harvey Weinstein and said nothing. #SHEKNEW.
13
Hearsay is useless. It took the courage of women who were actually abused to tip the scales.
1
A world of men and women knew about Weinstein and did nothing. But then they did do something. And ARE DOING something. And that is courageous and right and as it should be. I don't blame Oprah for Weinstein's behavior. I blame Weinstein.
Kept changing off the aeards show, mostly at the beginnig. My main questions, is if the women were wearings black to protest sexual assault/harassment, why were so many in see through, breast exposing , outfits? Many looked like nightgowns. The last portion seemed to go smoother, though Amy Powler and her drunk white trash comedy has never been/ will be funny.
11
Most of the people mentioned in this article live apart from the rest of America, clad in their multi-thousand dollar dresses and living in their multi-million dollar homes.
Hearing thee people who trade on beauty, sexuality and insider networks show no interest in helping those less priviledged. Whatever wage gap may exist among the Hollywood elite pales in comparison to the gap in wages between them and Jane Sixpack.
Sorry, but this is window dressing and a sham.
61
Dear Matt,
Actually many of these rich Hollywood types also give a tremendous amount of money to charity, they just don't all brag about it. I'm sure that everyone up on that stage donated more money to charitable causes than Trump did, despite none of them having as much cash on hand as he does.
7
@Matt: Many of the attendees invited social activists as their guests, and they (and their organizations) are now benefiting from the exposure.
If the choice was either to do nothing or to begin taking meaningful action, as many did last night, then I think the event was at least a moderate success.
12
This should be an NYT pick. But of course it won't be.
4
So long as half the shows on television and a third of movies treat rape of women as entertaining plotlines, I will take my cues as a feminist elsewhere, thank you.
12
Dear PaulaC,
I really don't think your guesstimate is accurate. None of the movies or TV shows I've seen in years have had rape used as entertainment.
One thing I thought was interesting was an award given to Kirk Douglas. He was accused of raping Natalie Wood long long ago. Among other dubious behavior. This is not a secret. I get he is over a hundred and this was over 50 years ago but isn't that been said to be irrelevant? Dissonance indeed.
22
@lelectra: You, too, heard the collective gasp that rose in living rooms all across the country...what were the producers thinking when scheduling Douglas as a presenter?
2
Ah, another case of no case. Exactly when was Douglas formally accused? Tried? Convicted?
The answers to all three questions: Never, never, never.
Not a single photo of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, and his daughter in law, Catherine Zeta Jones.
He's one hundred one years old -- has had accomplishments that the millennials need to be made aware of; and successes (and failures) the likes of which this new generation will never come close to surpassing.
I cannot believe there's no mention of him, either.
3
There is a reason for not mentioning Kirk Douglas here and an even greater reason for questioning his inclusion in last night's ceremony. High Hollywood Hypocrisy.
1
This is about being pretty, female and photogenic. Except for Oprah. They gave her a pass.
Right you are -- I never thought of it that way. it was a horrible error, nonetheless.
Does the Times really not have the resources to make sure headlines are written according to an acceptable standard of English? The use of the word 'woke' as an adjective may just about be tolerable (or at least not unexpected) in a semi-literate blog post. When used in one of the world's most prestigious newspapers, it can only be deliberately moronic.
6
From Merriam-Webster (which provides descriptive as well as prescriptive definitions):
WOKE
chiefly US slang
: aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)
But we will only succeed if we reject the growing pressure to retreat into cynicism and hopelessness. … We have a moral obligation to "stay woke," take a stand and be active; challenging injustices and racism in our communities and fighting hatred and discrimination wherever it rises. —Barbara Lee
… argued that … Brad Pitt is not only woke, but the wokest man in Hollywood … because he uses his status—and his production company Plan B—to create space for artists of color, with such films as 12 Years a Slave, Selma, and the upcoming film Moonlight. —Giselle Defares
5
I understand the criticism men and women wearing overpriced clothes in ostensible support of the #MeToo movement but it keeps the conversation going, which is precisely what needs to happen. Hollywood can do better, we can do better - everyone can do better - but Hollywood could also do nothing. So I'll take halfway woke over silent.
10
Hollywood can do better? Yea, better than "Howard, the Duck." Other than that, don't count on it.
In a country where an admitted sexual abuser and psychopathic pathologic liar is elected President, what would one expect as a new social norm?
So much COULD have been accomplished if a human being had been put in the White House. ANYONE other than Trump would have been more acceptable. Let's focus on the pervert standard bearer first and work our way down (or up) from there.
Everything takes time, James. Women have been one-down for thousands of years in most cultures. This is a sea change and it will evolve. What you perhaps don't understand is that when women get together to do something--plant a garden, care for children, run a business, protest injustices--they are always also celebrating. We celebrate being together, doing together, working together, supporting each other. Many studies have been done that show women cooperate, and we prefer to do it with laughter, intelligence, dignity, and just a plain old good time. So last night was not either a protest or a celebration, it was what women do: celebrate life in all its aspects. In the end, this will be what the men are asked to join.
20
Thank you for writing this. How women are together & how they cooperate is often overlooked, especially with regard to this topic. We all need to insure that the momentum is maintained from today into tomorrow & I have a good feeling that person by person, act by act, we will.
4
The Golden Globes award represented a small, powerful example of what is happening in The United States of America and the world right now.
Socially Conscious Women, and men, are stepping up to take one-half the power in the world. They will change the male power-over model that allows abuse of over one-half the population of the world - women - and minorities to one of Power-With. Power-With uses inclusion - not exclusion - cooperative living and peaceful solutions to problems.
Attention boys and girls who abuse power - TIME'S UP!
17
Hollywood will not change till we change how movies are made. We need to have powerful banks run by and women sitting on the boards who will greenlight projects. We need to have women who are building affordable housing in the communities Running hospitals. We need to take back public education from hedge fund managers and educate our children for all opportunities outside of the stem movement which I am suspect of. Wearing black and speaking about injustices are the very beginning of many steps that need to be taken to change the lives of women.
25
It's interesting that we have Hollywood to thank for our chauvinist, reality TV president...and this year we sort of found out how a so-called liberal enclave was capable of producing such a beast.
This year, it was as if the man behind the curtain had been exposed. Our influence capital is behind the times, instead of leading it. There's a fine line Hollywood has to walk. It has to cater to audiences while trying to feel fresh and new. I think audience tastes radically shifted post election, Hollywood finds itself needing to do more than make movies to be culturally significant. That might be new territory. As Hollywood claws it's way to maintain relevancy, we have to continue forcing it to catch up.
That being said, the little girl in me that loved films growing up never thought she could be a director. She never saw a woman doing it. Seeing women vocalizing dissent, however small it seems, no matter how late it is...means the world to me today.
Thank you to Oprah, to all the women standing up. There are little girls watching on their TVs at home, witnessing change. They're seeing activists influence the pop culture capital. They're seeing brains respected as much as beauty. I'm celebrating this cultural moment and hope it inspires future generations of strong, empowered women.
12
Oprah gets the Cecil B. DeMille award, huh? Why not award top filmmakers of all hues an Oscar Micheaux or Gordon Parks award?
9
Thank you! And Cecil B. DeMille was nowhere near a saint.
3
Yea! Let's protest our objectification by wearing Black! Maybe it's just me, but don't many men and women, find when the opposite sex wears that color, it tends to be a turn on, even sexually?! Furthermore, isn't that the clothing color that is recommended to people, especially women, to make them look thinner? And wouldn't and doesn't it thusly follow, that by taking that route, one is desiring to look more attractive to the other?!!!
12
Black is also the somber and dignified color worn at wakes and funerals. It's all about context, and the underlying theme at the Globes this year was clear.
11
Thinking too hard?...perhaps hardly thinking.
All nit-picking does is distract from the goal. It's a process that he-who-shouldn't-be-named has mastered. Do something that nit-pickers will swarm around, to distract from the crime and abomination that has destroyed or soon will destroy our country (the jury's still out)... KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE! Focus on what matters... right up until the moment when we vote in November. Get enough control to stop the madness. Then persist until Lord Lardbottom and his co-conspirators are safely ensconced in federal prison, and we can re-institute our usual wishy-washy imitation of reason and decency. Compared to what we've been experiencing, okay is good enough.
Besides, if you're going to insist on prescience regarding sexually-exciting colors, I myself favor Air Superiority Blue (#72A0C1).
2
All that black? How meaningful and profound. Still trading on body though. When the women of Hollywood figure out how to dress without stylists and with their own sense of grace, I will be more impressed. Kate Hudson and Catherine Zeta-Jones with the prize for cleavage and showing off body with see-through dresses. Ugly, tasteless. Really.
All those showing a little (or a lot of) leg? Stilletto heels? It is just a very weird juxtaposition with the cultural moment.
I did not watch, takes too much time from other things to do and think about. I do like fashion, and there were some great outfit photos but if anything, all those black outfits demonstrated the need for and value of diversity. Variety is the spice of life, and Hollywood certainly isn't an orchestra where the instruments being played are what counts. At least, that is what the visuals said to me.
Or er ah well, maybe the point of film IS to have truly effective "instruments" played so we can take in the story being told and be moved, influenced, etc.
When that is the focus of the Golden Globes, I may want to watch.
43
I agree. Read my response to CounterMeasures
2
Stop putting other women down. They are not defined by what they wear and they are allowed to wear whatever they want.
Of course they can wear whatever they want. But how are their "wants" shaped by society and culture? And we do know that people dress as a way of expressing identity. So what is the identity being expressed?
EVERYONE is defined by what they wear, all the time. Sometimes wrongly, sometimes unfairly.
If women do not wish to be treated as sex objects, then don't trade on sex in one's dress. That is the weird cultural juxtaposition that I see occurring. They can of course wear absolutely nothing if they so choose. In many places in the world someone dressing as totally nude would risk arrest or censure. Why is that?
We should not be so naive as to think that people are not taking dress as a form of communication about oneself. Human beings judge each other all the time. Whether that is good or bad...is not relevant. We have to recognize that this happens and will definitely continue to happen.
1
What a delight, and a relief, to see the stars at an awards ceremony dressed in clothing that most of us would consider appropriate for a public appearance. For once, no boobs hanging out (well, almost none; Kate Hudson apparently didn't get the memo), naughty bits covered, dresses relatively simple. You could look at their faces and expressions, and even listen to what they were saying. How lovely!
10
Change has to start somewhere. Are gorgeous black gowns important? No not really, but the sentiment behind them is. It's a start.
And to all those dismissing the commitment of the women (and men) who surely knew about the abuses before, stand down. They worked in a system dedicated to ensuring they had more to lose than to gain by speaking up. They had also been raised, like the rest of us, to accept that powerful men deserve what they take. All of that made it incredible difficult to call out the abusers. Just look at Rose McGowan.
So now the change has started. And about damned time.
23
Parading on red rugs in expensive black evening wear is a start?
You gotta be kidding.
14
As I said, the gowns aren't important, it's the sentiment behind the move to black that is. As is the legal defense fund set up by the TIMEs UP organization, as are the speeches, as are the daily battles being fought in every place women are deciding enough is past enough. What have you done to make things better that allows you to be so critical of these women who are doing *something*?
2
Interesting, these comments. That change should look different, happen faster, be less, well, "mean-spirited." Don't know what movements you men here in these comments have been a part of, but nothing worth the effort changes with quick, clean, nice strokes. It's jagged, and rough, and dangerous. Sadly, so many Americans love to critique from the couch; not really get out there and get their hands dirty, their heart broken. Clearly, we women have finally realized that this change, at least now, is ours to bring forward. Bravo to Ophra for chosing our words so wisely, and for giving us the opportunity to rally around them.
19
As to the expected and usual suspects on the Red Carpet: Black or blue, however do they keep their Pink Ears glowing while dropping necklines and showing legs and back?
Did anyone take this Hollywood cultural propaganda seriously, besides the NYT, of course?
29
I think 'woke' might be the ideal word - made-up, transitory, trendy, gone in a season.
69
I applaud the Globe participants for openly supporting change that Washington politicians refuse to even acknowledge. Both groups (Hollywood and Washington) are wealthy and, yes, often out of touch with most Americans. But at least the women, and some men, in Hollywood are working for change that could very well improve the lives of the middle and working classes (e.g. the new legal defense funds). And they are working for change in spite of their "spoiled" status in the world. One cannot say the same thing about politicians in DC.
32
Hollywood has more influence than any Madison avenue executive ( usually a man ) could ever dream of. The players within tinsel town are shaping the image of our world and will continue to do so long after this administration has been voted out of office or impeached.
It has shone the camera outward and shown images of what a Utopian society could look like with equal rights for all. ( especially the LGBTQ community ) Now it is looking inward and showing what an even power structure BEHIND the scenes can and will look like.
We are all better for it.
39
Hollywood is Madison Avenue. And Madison Avenue is Hollywood. It's been that way for along while...I can remember ET drinking a Coors. Do you remembers what make of car James Bond drives (two different makes in different movies). Do you actually think the women paid for the dresses, or did the designers and makers gave them (or paid them) to be worn?
Welcome to the real world which is just imaginary. Vance Packard was wrong. The persuaders are not hidden, most are boasting and letting it show.
Oprah for President. Why not???? I challenge anyone to name a worse candidate than the Current Occupant. Go ahead, I dare you.
33
As far as I know, Oprah is a very intelligent, sensitive, and empathic human being. I think she could go a long way in repairing our so badly damaged relations with the rest of the world. I'd vote for her in a nanosecond.
17
Mike Pence, Steve Bannon, Ivanka, - too many to count, and Oprah does count as one of the bad ones - we need people who study governance, the constitution - something besides hair and make up and making money off TV..!Please!!!
12
Does Oprah know the constitution? Our current president does not. Time for a grown up with legal experience to be president.
7
Halfway woke is still asleep. It's called twilight and it's a state where you cannot fully function in any meaningful way.
Deciding to wear a black dress is not a meaningful or effective form of resistance. It is self serving at best and at worst makes a mockery of women and men who suffer the harassments and abuses of the real world.
Living in this "half light" is part of the reason why there is a reality television star in the White House.
The real #TimesUp has to do with no longer accepting these token gestures of the entertainment industry as being of any real import.
What it will take for everyone to really wake up is anyone's guess.
56
You do know that they almost never buy the dresses, right? The designers fight to get someone to show off their work on the red carpet. The only ones who actually spent money are likely the ones in relatively ordinary outfits.
4
So....I guess a lot of people were only halfway listening. Doesn't mean that truth was not spoken.
So, in case anyone missed it: time's up. We're not keeping silent about harassment, abuse or just plain sexism anymore. Your behavior is not acceptable. You're toast. Get with the program and start treating everyone with dignity and respect or get out.
1
Nothing quite says “resistance” and “woke” quite like spending $5,000 on a gorgeous black gown. It would have been far more daring for all those women in black to show up in street clothes while donating what they would have spent on evening wear to domestic violence shelters, rape crisis hotlines, etc. Well, it’s Hollywood, after all. Nothing trumps appearances.
243
To Pro Skeptic, re: actresses paying for their gowns....almost none of these actresses pay for their gowns. They are walking commercials for the designers who make them.
5
Why be so negative? I am in my 60's and work/worked in the financial field. I see no need here to rehash any abhorrent behavior I was subjected to in the past. Suffice it to say that this is a long time coming and I see no benefit in throwing cold water on a subject that is really just heating up!
2
they are not "spending" anything, these gowns are on loan from design houses.
1
Like all of the others, Oprah certainly at least heard of the rumors about Weinstein and did nothing for years. Unlike most of the others, she was more than powerful enough to go up against Weinstein but did still did nothing.
94
Hmmmm. Oprah Winfrey has waged many battles over the years, on behalf of other people too; maybe, though, not the way men battle like button-pressing presidents and other dictators.
But she has used her power for good always. And she brought to life Recy Taylor, and Rosa Parks and brought them forward on the Golden Globe stage no less.
It takes a Movement. People together brings power, attracts power. It would have had a very different outcome if Oprah Winfrey had accused Harvey Weinstein: lawsuits, accusations and attacks in the press, arguments, and so on. It's much better this way.
6
What proof do you have that Oprah knew?!
5
common sense - lots of men heard the rumors for years and did nothing for years. Why is it solely women's responsibility to fix male behavior?
11
My fear is that this will be a movement that shines bright like the sun and burns out. Why? Because Hollywood has been a cesspool for a century. Some of yesterday's cretins are back in full good standing because they sell movie tickets. Sadly, the majority of the women (and some of the men) in attendance will be forgotten in a few years' time -- unemployed because they are selected for looks more than acting chops -- and a generation of new actors will abound, many of whom will do anything to get ahead in Tinseltown. Two things always seem to prevail in LA: the bottom line and plastic surgeons.
Has a new day dawned? Hopefully. But be ever vigilant. Because old habits die hard and libidos run deep.
26
I wish they had decided to wear red robes à la Handmaid's Tale. Now that would have made a much stronger statement than the usual gorgeous, lavish gowns (but in black.)
10
How very Hollywood, the majority of these people waited until there is absolutely zero risk in taking a strong stance then think they are at the vanguard and would like to be congratulated for it
107
I am guessing you have no idea how difficult it has historically been for women to come forward. Until they joined together, their lives were likely destroyed. Hence the delay.
33
I do, but I think it trivializes what women who have been willing to stand alone or with very few others against misogyny and against abuse go through when you wait until there is little personal risk involved to stand with them.
1
Too easy to criticize when you cannot understand that "stepping forth" likely will get you blackballed. Please provide examples when YOU risked your livelihood for the better good.
12
Hollywood stars and award shows give voice to some of the voiceless. I get it. But a lot of this is too little too late. Natalie Portman appeared to be downright mean-spirited; why hasn't she said anything earlier? Oh that's right, she needs a paycheck, too.
Great year for movies, though.
20
Not earlier because until now, if women spoke up, their lives were likely destroyed. It is still the case for lower class women. It just makes their lives more difficult.
24
Typical guy's response, that a woman points out something that might have gone unnoticed and under the radar, but in a very pointed way and in a place where everyone can't avoid it, which most women notice, constantly, and made everyone notice and very aware.
Look at the hierarchy of Hollywood-and it's like all the hierarchies in our country. This year, in Hollywood, 4% of the movies were directed by women. The people who are making the majority of the decisions, still, of what stories are told and who gets to tell them, are men.
You call it mean-spirited, and I call it speaking up. And yes, she needs a paycheck. What is wrong with that. Don't you need a paycheck? That makes it even braver because she is dependent upon men for that paycheck. And, she will probably be paid less than the male actors.
Keep up the pressure, Ms Portman, Oprah, Ms. Witherspoon. Keep speaking up and out and make the men squirm until they actually change how things are done.
84
"Typical guy's response...". And now it's acceptable to discredit a person's point based upon their apparent gender?
Rose McGowan made the same point last fall. Too bad she wasn't invited to the Globe's self-absolution bash.
10
Hollywood —with its tiny galaxy of players and culture — constitutes no more than it ever was: Tinseltown. In terms of the real political changes that will enable women to share more of the power structures in every endeavor (Hollywood is just one very tiny part of this), we’ll know we are on our way when we see the actual language in actual legislation that requires, in some cases forces, corporations and institutions to give women more clout. Check out the initiatives in Northern European countries, especially Norway, where more women are legally supported in having executive power. Forget Tinseltown. Starting lobbying your legislators; better still, run for office. Your daughters will thank you.
124
Terrific Mr. Duffy, Running for office is the best solution. Don't get mad, get even: Didn't we hear that before, and it works!
4
Marian:
The only real progress will be political in nature and even then it will need defending going forward. If you can think of alternative ways of accelerating systemic change, please tell us about it. For lasting political change, women will absolutely need a broad consensus that thinks not in terms of identity but in terms of how we treat our fellow citizens, regardless of race or gender. We as a nation of citizens never needed solidarity more. Getting mad has very limited utility. Trying to get even is a fool’s errand.
4
Or Iceland's recent legislation of equal pay.
1