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Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Lifetime Showrunners Talk #MeToo and Meaningful Change for Women
Variety: The #MeToo movement has the potential to not only expose the continuing scourge of sexual harassment but also to bring meaningful changes to the business landscape for women in Hollywood.
5 comments:
Lily Kincannon
said...
I am thoroughly excited by the change that has been slowly but very obviously progressing in a hopeful direction for women, especially in our industry. I remember thinking at the time that the MeToo movement was just a way for women to connect over experiencing maybe similar experiences, but also thinking that I wouldn’t want to broadcast something so personal that happened to me. Now seeing the almost witch hunt for perpetrators in the entertainment industry who have committed these horrible acts on women, I am realizing the larger impact of this movement and understanding the importance of this change. I also did not realize the struggle women as showrunners faced being stuck with the constant box women are put in, but in a job that contradicts those social expectations. This article covering these four showrunners opinion on women’s roles as of being in charge of a program or show makes me excited to see the incline of these powerful women and what they can change for women on and off the screen.
Stacey Rukeyser says it perfectly when she states: “What I want at the end of this ‘Me Too’ moment is so much more than just a safe working environment”. Me too is one of the most powerful movements this entertainment industry has ever seen. Its highly important that not only victims speak up, but witness' and bystanders as well because when people are on a set they're one team, they assume different job responsibilities but the same responsibility to speak up when they see or hear about harassment, discrimination, or abuse in the workplace. Ever since awards season has started, this movement has spread so far past just the industry, Its heartening to see so many people speaking up. This article points out that in order to have a safe working environment the playing field has to be even, because when their is an imbalance of power these things happen.
This was such an exciting article to read! When the Me Too movement started, I was saddened that it seemed to have become a trending topic and something that EVERYone was posting on their Facebook pages and Instagram accounts just to feel included in the conversation on sexual assault and harassment. When the Times Up movement started up only a few weeks ago, I was a little disheartened again when it turned mostly into fundraising and trendy pins that celebrities were wearing to the Golden Globes and on social media. This article that there can and needs to be so much more to activism than plastering two word phrases all over everything. We are in a time in which change needs to come about by more than just hashtags and quick phrases. While activism might still come from celebrities and public figures in order for people to start listening to it, we can all find ways to take charge of change like the Lifetime showrunners are doing in their industry and in their lives.
I really enjoyed the hope that this article brought to the table. Not just asking for the end of #MeToo, but truly calling for feminine power to be given an equal role to that of male power in a workplace. It is so much more than a call for solidarity and a reminder that those who have been harassed are not alone; it is truly a movement to demand that we are equals and to no longer allow passive bystanders. Seeing such powerful women paving the way in the industry excites me for the possibilities of women of the future. There is so much we can do once we allow ourselves to take up the space we deserve in positions of power, and I cannot wait to see the stories that begin to be told and the opportunities that will be open once we achieve equality. Another thing that I am impressed by is the enduring property of the movement. After seeing its power manifest, it is clear that the movement is not going anywhere until we achieve our goal of equality.
“When you’re a woman creating the story, you have control over what the female characters are putting out there… For so much of the time (TV has been) presenting women in a position of being victimized in some way. Just to be able to control how female characters are empowered or have their own agency in ways that we haven’t seen that much in the past.” The most profound statement I found coming out of this article was sparked by #metoo and set ablaze by the Golden Globes. Not only on screen but also behind the scenes you see the effects of lack in gender equality and the #MeToo movement led to the discussion of issues like these, which is heading in the direction of Rukeyser’s goal. Safe work environments, for all, will only truly arise when gender disparity is acknowledged by the upper and people are held accountable, and after seeing the effects of #MeToo, we are finally moving in that direction. It is a sign of hope that so many people are now able to speak out about those who have been oppressing them, those who have harassed them, those who have dangled their careers over their heads and now, we are beginning to actually make meaningful change for woman.
5 comments:
I am thoroughly excited by the change that has been slowly but very obviously progressing in a hopeful direction for women, especially in our industry. I remember thinking at the time that the MeToo movement was just a way for women to connect over experiencing maybe similar experiences, but also thinking that I wouldn’t want to broadcast something so personal that happened to me. Now seeing the almost witch hunt for perpetrators in the entertainment industry who have committed these horrible acts on women, I am realizing the larger impact of this movement and understanding the importance of this change. I also did not realize the struggle women as showrunners faced being stuck with the constant box women are put in, but in a job that contradicts those social expectations. This article covering these four showrunners opinion on women’s roles as of being in charge of a program or show makes me excited to see the incline of these powerful women and what they can change for women on and off the screen.
Stacey Rukeyser says it perfectly when she states: “What I want at the end of this ‘Me Too’ moment is so much more than just a safe working environment”. Me too is one of the most powerful movements this entertainment industry has ever seen. Its highly important that not only victims speak up, but witness' and bystanders as well because when people are on a set they're one team, they assume different job responsibilities but the same responsibility to speak up when they see or hear about harassment, discrimination, or abuse in the workplace. Ever since awards season has started, this movement has spread so far past just the industry, Its heartening to see so many people speaking up. This article points out that in order to have a safe working environment the playing field has to be even, because when their is an imbalance of power these things happen.
This was such an exciting article to read! When the Me Too movement started, I was saddened that it seemed to have become a trending topic and something that EVERYone was posting on their Facebook pages and Instagram accounts just to feel included in the conversation on sexual assault and harassment. When the Times Up movement started up only a few weeks ago, I was a little disheartened again when it turned mostly into fundraising and trendy pins that celebrities were wearing to the Golden Globes and on social media. This article that there can and needs to be so much more to activism than plastering two word phrases all over everything. We are in a time in which change needs to come about by more than just hashtags and quick phrases. While activism might still come from celebrities and public figures in order for people to start listening to it, we can all find ways to take charge of change like the Lifetime showrunners are doing in their industry and in their lives.
I really enjoyed the hope that this article brought to the table. Not just asking for the end of #MeToo, but truly calling for feminine power to be given an equal role to that of male power in a workplace. It is so much more than a call for solidarity and a reminder that those who have been harassed are not alone; it is truly a movement to demand that we are equals and to no longer allow passive bystanders. Seeing such powerful women paving the way in the industry excites me for the possibilities of women of the future. There is so much we can do once we allow ourselves to take up the space we deserve in positions of power, and I cannot wait to see the stories that begin to be told and the opportunities that will be open once we achieve equality. Another thing that I am impressed by is the enduring property of the movement. After seeing its power manifest, it is clear that the movement is not going anywhere until we achieve our goal of equality.
“When you’re a woman creating the story, you have control over what the female characters are putting out there… For so much of the time (TV has been) presenting women in a position of being victimized in some way. Just to be able to control how female characters are empowered or have their own agency in ways that we haven’t seen that much in the past.” The most profound statement I found coming out of this article was sparked by #metoo and set ablaze by the Golden Globes. Not only on screen but also behind the scenes you see the effects of lack in gender equality and the #MeToo movement led to the discussion of issues like these, which is heading in the direction of Rukeyser’s goal. Safe work environments, for all, will only truly arise when gender disparity is acknowledged by the upper and people are held accountable, and after seeing the effects of #MeToo, we are finally moving in that direction. It is a sign of hope that so many people are now able to speak out about those who have been oppressing them, those who have harassed them, those who have dangled their careers over their heads and now, we are beginning to actually make meaningful change for woman.
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