After the initial shock when the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke and the waves of #MeToo allegations that followed, many people were rightly dubious about how much would actually change for women in the entertainment industry and beyond.
Yet so far, 2018 looks like it might be the year of action, not just words.
American actress Amber Tamblyn is the director of the legal defence fund for Time's Up (you may have seen #TimesUp trending on Twitter lately) an initiative backed by hundreds of prominent women across the film, TV and theatre industries in the US, which has received $30 million in donations so far. The movement's mission is simple: to take action on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace and offer legal and financial support. Basically, the aim of #TimesUp is to hit them where it hurts.
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This morning, Tamblyn was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, where she was interviewed by BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.
Tamblyn spoke about the prevalence of harassment, which affects both men and women in all industries the world over, but she also made a salient point about representation, saying that, ultimately, this is what it's all about.
“
This is not about sex or sexual assault; this is a power play
”
"One in three women aged 18-34 have been sexually harassed at work and about 71% have never reported it," she stated. "We have lived in a world where men dictate the rules, the way things are done, the narratives and the stories. This is not about sex or sexual assault; this is a power play. The fact that there is such underrepresentation or misrepresentation [of women] goes hand in hand."
Gardner then asked: "Do you think we would even be having this conversation had Harvey Weinstein not been exposed in October?"
"I'll take it a step further," Tamblyn replied. "I don't think we would be having this conversation if Hillary Clinton had won... This is deeply rooted far beyond Harvey Weinstein, in Donald Trump."
Tamblyn mentioned the overwhelming reaction to Trump's "disregard of women" citing the Women's Marches that took place in Washington, London and cities across the globe in January last year to protest Trump's presidency, adding: "Donald Trump is the cherry on top of a much larger cake that women are fed up of swallowing."
Gardner then posited: "Perversely, you are saying then that his election victory, his appointment as president has actually speeded up the process of improving the status of women and giving them rights?"
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An open letter appears in @LaOpinionLA and @nytimes today from us to our sisters in the Farm Worker’s Union. It’s also a call to arms. We’ve started a legal defense fund supporting those across industries who’ve experienced abuse in the workplace. Join us. #TIMESUP (link in bio) pic.twitter.com/Zr5C4QgcXg
— Amber Tamblyn (@ambertamblyn) January 1, 2018
"I would never put it in those terms," Tamblyn clapped back.
Every generation has carried this "men will just be men" attitude and Trump is the pinnacle of that, she argued. Then came this wonderful rebuff: "If you want to say that he [Trump] gave this to us, sure, but to me that's just another form of patriarchal language that makes men the heroes."
She went on to champion the women who are working to make #TimesUp go global, saying that if anyone listening wanted to start an initiative in their industry, then #TimesUp would be there to support. She concluded: "We can't go back, there's no before anymore, there is only the future."
Happy New Year, everyone.
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