Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” choice is as imaginative as it’s bold in recognising a movement that opened the floodgates to accept that women have been terribly wronged by perpetrators of sexual misconduct. What began as hashtag #MeToo promises to bring about a great social change, with women accepted as equals in more liberated parts of the world where wisdom is finally dawning that sexual harassment has no place in society. It’s time the historical gender gap is dismantled too, and how better to begin than by granting a woman absolute rights to her body. It took great courage by the “silence breakers” to reveal that they were victims of improper sexual conduct by men in positions of power. The impact of the disclosures was so stunning that it brought about the biggest cultural shift in decades.
The men exposed as sexual predators, who thought nothing of groping women or thrusting themselves upon them unfairly, haven’t just been shamed but in many cases also dethroned from powerful positions. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, comedian Louis C.K. and actor Kevin Spacey all paid a high price for their peccadilloes. Ironically, Democratic Senator Al Franken, just forced to resign by his party colleagues, won’t leave without pointing to the irony that America’s First Citizen, who openly bragged on tape about his sexual assault history, and who backs another predator Ray Moore’s US Senate bid, still sits in the Oval Office of the White House. Those who have spoken up so far have truly brought about a social revolution.
