Last December, People reported that actresses at the 2018 Golden Globes (including nominees Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, and Jessica Chastain) would be wearing head-to-toe black to protest sexual harassment in Hollywood. Later that month, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson confirmed that men, too, would participate in the show of solidarity.
The plan for a silent sartorial protest was almost immediately met with derision. “YOUR SILENCE is THE problem,” actress Rose McGowan wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly and affect no real change. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa.” Added #OscarsSoWhite creator April Reign, “You know what would REALLY be a protest? Not going. No women on the red carpet as far as the eye can see. THAT would be a statement.”
As we now know, however, Operation Black Dress is but one piece of a much broader action plan to combat sexual harassment and inequality in the workplace, from film studios to farms. Launched on January 1st, Time’s Up is backed by hundreds of powerful women in the entertainment industry, including A-listers like Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, Emma Stone, and Shonda Rhimes. The coalition includes a multimillion-dollar legal fund to help victims of sexual misconduct, legislation to penalize companies that permit it, a push for gender parity in the entertainment business — and, yes, a call for women to wear black at the Golden Globes.
For the full story, visit Racked.com/Entertainment.
