As each actor and actress made their way down the 75th Annual Golden Globes red carpet, it looked less like a gala event and more like a funeral procession. But the faces of the women and men wearing black were anything but mourning. The women wore their black like armor, walking proudly into the room like knights preparing for battle.

With the onslaught of sexual misconduct allegations over the past year and the rise of #MeToo as a permanent trend on Twitter, Hollywood decided to take a stand. The vast majority of attendees wore black to symbolize their support of women, especially those who have faced sexual harassment at the hands of the film industry. However, this event was far from a triumph.

Of the 84 women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault or misconduct, most were absent from the Golden Globes. Not only were they absent but completely uninvited. Among these women was Mira Sorvino. Her name is not as well known as it could be because after denying Weinstein’s advances, she was harassed and blacklisted into nonexistence. In other words, when she refused to perform sexual acts, her promising acting career was ruined. Had she given into Weinstein’s pressure and kept it secret, like Gwyneth Paltrow for example, she may be more of a star today. Instead, Sorvino kept her pride and dignity and began empowering other women by speaking to the United Nations about ending human trafficking. She didn’t dress in black, but she did make actual change, something that no black-clad starlets seem to have done.

I mean no disrespect to Paltrow and others who met Weinstein’s demands. I’m sure the experience was terrifying and horrible. What bothers me about her actions is that she knew for 20 years that this predator was free to use his position of power to abuse women. For 20 years she praised and thanked him in her awards speeches. For 20 years she allowed other budding actresses to face the same fate as her.

The most talked-about woman of the evening was not one of the aforementioned 84 survivors. In fact, it was someone physically unaffected. Oprah Winfrey stole the show with her so-called presidential speech. While it was inspirational and uplifting, it neglected to outline any real solutions to the sexual assault epidemic or call for any action. Nevertheless, focus soon swayed from the traumatic experiences of victims of sexual assault and the spotlight was placed on unfounded reports of an “Oprah 2020” campaign. That’s not the only reason she made headlines, though. Later that night, comedian and political commentator Steven Crowder tweeted a photo of Winfrey kissing Weinstein on the cheek.

https://twitter.com/scrowder/status/950383938312192001

It was said that the image was doctored, which was later revealed to be untrue. Many have argued that Winfrey didn’t know of Weinstein’s misconduct at the time, so she couldn’t be held accountable for kissing a sexual predator.

It’s possible that Winfrey was unaware. However, based on the fact that multiple movie stars and musicians knew and joked about Weinstein’s “hotel business meetings,” this is unlikely. Even back in 2005, Courtney Love was asked in an interview what advice she had for aspiring actresses. Her response was “If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party in the Four Seasons, don’t go.” After this comment, she was banned for life from the Creative Artists Agency. Not only did Hollywood know about the issue and ignore it, they silenced and censored people to keep it under wraps. What’s disturbing about this is the great lengths the film industry goes to in order to ensure rapists don’t get caught. There could be another Weinstein lurking in the shadows of awards show after-parties, waiting to take his or her next victim, and we could have no idea.

Another issue with the all-black movement was the actors who were wearing black. Many tweeted or posted their support for #MeToo, #TimesUp, et cetera. However, their real-life actions greatly contradicted their words. Justin Timberlake donned a monochromatic ensemble and a “Times Up” pin, despite starring in Woody Allen’s new film. For those who are unaware, Woody Allen has been accused of sexually assaulting his daughters and married his adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn in 1997. In the same fashion, Dakota Johnson stunned in a sweeping, midnight-colored Gucci gown. She seemed to forget that she is the star of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a movie that glorifies a relationship in which a man uses his position of power to coerce a young girl into signing a contract stating that she is his sex slave.

My feelings on actor-led protests such as these can be summed up in this tweet by Rose McGowan.

https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/950174820498522112

The Golden Globes was not a protest. It was not a victory for women. It was a half-hearted, ingenuine apology; or as McGowan said, “Hollywood fakery.” I am unsatisfied, and you should be too. Until all actors come together and recognize their complicity in the culture of sexual abuse in Hollywood, we shouldn’t take these attempts at a social justice statement seriously.

by IZZIE BARTHOLOMEW