Women empowerment is not a new concept. American Feminism became relevant in the late 19th century and encouraged huge political action in the 1960’s and the 1990’s.
Female empowerment has been a struggle for decades and Feminism has become a hot topic recently and there are many different perceptions of what the definition entails.
First, it is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Second, it is an organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.
The Harvey Weinstein scandal certainly excelerated the latest in women standing up for their rights and not being “shushed” any longer.
One of the apects of the Weinstein scandal that was so shocking was Weinstein seemed like a supporter of women’s rights and feminism. Many kept quiet about the sexual assault because of the power Weinstein carried in the entertainment business. One victim states, “I am a 28-year-old woman trying to make a living and a career. Harvey Weinstein is a 64-year-old, world famous man and this is his company. The balance of power is me: 0, Harvey Weinstein: 10.”
Me Too marchers move along Hollywood Blvd to end sexual harassment in the workplace. The #Metoo movement has empowered girls, women and other sexual abuse victims to share their stories of abuse. ( Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
These claims towards him led to the Time’s Up movement. According to BBC, “More than 300 actresses, writers and directors have launched a project to help fight sexual harassment in the film industry and other workplaces.” Time magazine even made these ladies person of the year and deemed them “the silence breakers”. The #metoo hashtag also emerged from this political stance. Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted and ask victims of sexual assault to come forward about their experiences The hashtag was used over six million times between October and December 2017.
Time is up. Women are changing the culture of sexual harassment in Hollywood and beyond.
So, why does Hollywood, and America, need feminism? I picked out a couple of my favorite girl power quotes from four celebrities to demonstrate how important the concept is.
First on my list is Jennifer Lawrence. I enjoyed the Hunger Games movies and thought she did a great job portraying Katniss. Similar to Katniss, Lawrence is determined, blunt, and voices her opinion! One of the many quotes I love from her comes from her reaction to Hollywood’s wage gap. She comments, “But if I’m honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’
At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.” Many still believe that women that are strong-willed in the workplace are perceived as “bossy” or “rude”. Lawrence directly addresses that, even for a huge celebrity, there is a double standard in the workplace. If Lawrence can speak up for herself then so can a younger generation of girls.
Next up is Zooey Deschanel. Not only am I obsessed with her character on New Girl but I love the confidence she carries. Deschanel is known to be feminine and feminist, which she received some criticism on. Many people stereotype feminists and believe they cannot be “girly girls”. Her response to this was, “I’m just being myself. There is not an ounce of me that believes any of that crap that they say. We can’t be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f—ing feminist and wear a f—ing Peter Pan collar. So f—ing what?”
Another person I wanted to acknowledge is Ariana Grande. Her music puts me in the best mood and I respect her immensely. In 2015 she tweeted, “”I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present or future property/possession. I…do not. belong. to anyone. but myself. and neither do you.” It’s awesome that she speaks up on toxic relationships. Unfortunately, many women deal with this behavior daily. Grande’s huge social media platform allows this message to be read by multiple people and lets them know that these actions are not ok.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 7, 2015
Lastly, I adore Ellen Page. Juno was one of the movies that shaped my film taste and who I was in grade school. A great quote from her sums up the feminist movement perfectly,” I don’t know why people are so reluctant to say they’re feminists. Maybe some women just don’t care. But how could it be any more obvious that we still live in a patriarchal world when feminism is a bad word?”
‘I know what people in America are like about women’s ability to make choices for themselves’. Photograph Ramona Rosales for the Guardian; makeup Lina Hansen; hair John D
Lauren Hoke, Guest Writer