The 2018 Golden Globes were held on Sunday, January 8 and it was a night to remember. Women dominated both the red carpet and the stage, Oprah gave an acceptance speech that had people tweeting #Oprah2020, and Natalie Portman threw some excellent shade.
Black clothes made for a powerful protest
This year, women and men pledged to wear black to the Golden Globes as a form of protesting the countless cases of sexual harassment and assault, especially Hollywood executives. It also showed solidarity within the Time’s Up movement, which according to their website aims to address “the systematic inequality and injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential.” Time’s Up means ending tolerance for discrimination, harassment, and abuse to women and men everywhere.
The goal of wearing black on the red carpet was for everyone — especially women — to blend in and let their voices take centre stage. This seemed pretty successful because sure enough, this year the questions moved away from the typical “who did you wear?” and instead focused on #MeToo and the Time’s Up movement. Actresses jumped at the opportunity and happily discussed these issues with both NBC and E!
The press failed to question the male half of the attendees
Although men were wearing Time’s Up pins, interviewers did not speak to them about the movement. Even those who played harassers or abusers onscreen were never once questioned about their roles or thoughts on the situation.
This may have been a move to ensure that a feminist movement was not overshadowed by men’s opinions. The problem is that, once again, women were left to stand up against sexism alone. The way much of the interviewing was done felt like the media was constructing purely a victim’s narrative. Interviews didn’t see value in hearing from those who stood by while their colleagues were facing harassment and assault.
Natalie Portman threw some serious shade at the Best Director category
During the show, before reading out the names of the nominees for Best Director onstage, Portman casually dropped “here are the all-male nominees.” I personally think that it was an appropriate remark, considering that the last female to win Best Director was Barbra Streisand in 1984.
The amount of shade thrown here was perfect. Neither Dee Rees (director of Mudbound), Greta Gerwig (director of Lady Bird), nor Patty Jenkins (director of Wonder Woman) were nominated even though their films were fantastic. It’s great to see Portman call this exclusion of women out, and upsetting that doing so is still necessary.
The crowning glory of the night: Oprah’s acceptance speech
Oprah’s incredibly moving speech, given in acceptance of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, detailed her admiration of Sidney Poitier (a black actor who received the same award in 1964) and the “honour and privilege” she felt as the first black woman to receive the award.
Two lines that really struck a chord were “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have,” and “I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon!”
The 2018 Golden Globes was a historic night for women, the Time’s Up movement, and victims of sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood. It should be a night to be remembered.
