The message of standing up against sexual harassment and assault in the workplace was strong during the 75th Golden Globes Awards. Every woman made a statement with their ensembles and their remarks toward the issue. But wait, what about the men?
While everyone came in their best black outfit and wore their “Time’s Up” pins, the male celebrities and directors were mum about sexual misconduct scandals plaguing Hollywood the past few months. Take note that several men won awards but didn’t make any mention of the matter.
We’re looking at you, James Franco, Alexander Skarsgård, and Sam Rockwell.
Also silent were Ewan McGregor, Aziz Ansari, Gary Oldman, directors Guillermo del Toro and Martin McDonagh. Willem Dafoe’s meme-worthy look caught on camera may have said a lot, but there was no word from him either.
The only man who did say something was host Seth Meyers. He wasn’t afraid to call out perpetrators like Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, and Kevin Spacey with his jokes. It may have garnered uncomfortable groans from attendees, but that’s the kind of reaction you’ll get when sh*t gets real. And sexual misconduct is real.
There’s two ways of looking at this: 1. The men took the backseat to let the women speak up; and 2. They just chose to stay quiet because they didn’t have a say in the matter (for now).
However, many of them went up on stage to accept awards and recite speeches. They had every opportunity to show their support outside of wearing a “Time’s Up” pin.
As we and many others have said before, men are equally complicit when they’re silent on sexual misconduct. They may not be directly involved with the cases, but that doesn’t mean it’s not their problem. It’s everyone’s problem.
Art by Lara Intong
Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Viber
Related stories:
Anthony Bourdain Speaks Up Against Harvey Weinstein, More Men Should Too
Broadway Secrets: Kevin Spacey Accused of Sexually Harassing Actor Anthony Rapp
Rape, Cannes, and Kristen Stewart: The Curious Case of Woody Allen
Celebrities Speak Up About Sexual Harassment During the Golden Globes
Plunging Necklines at the Golden Globes: Why It Says a Lot