TIME Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers

TIME magazine’s 2017 Person of the Year recognition went to the silence breakers, “the women and men who have broken their silence”; those who “span all races, all income classes, all occupations and virtually all corners of the globe…now [had] a voice” ⁸.

The article opens detailing Ashley Judd’s testimony against Harvey Weinstein which sparked the use of #MeToo on Twitter. Shortly after Judd’s tweet, well as the emergence of scores of victims coming forward about their experience with sexual violence, having been “emboldened” by Judd. The hashtag was quickly translated and tweeted in multiple languages across the globe, as “an umbrella of solidarity”. Judd was the first “star” to go on the record about Weinstein’s workplace abuses. The article names other women who came forward, motivated by the spark of MeToo, such as Juana Melara, who was a housekeeper who witnessed continuous instances of guests exposing themselves and masturbating in front of herself and other housekeepers, all of whom felt silenced by the necessity of a paycheck. Crystal Washington, a hospitality coordinator, was groped on camera, yet her case was dismissed by the management of the Plaza. Six other females have come forward with accusations against the same hotel, and Washington says she must continue to work there and face the man who assaulted her because she needs the money to afford to live. Women such as Selma Blair were threatened with extreme violence should they come forth with accusations against their assailant.

Present in nearly all of the “dozens” of people who came forward to be interviewed as a Silence Breaker was the fear of retaliation for stepping forward, whether it be in the workplace, within their home, or with the threat of physical violence. For many, the retaliations they faced presented as verbal and written threats, but there was also the fear of their testimony becoming inextricable from their public identity thereafter. The article also notes the presence of heightened fear in those “most vulnerable in society–immigrants, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income workers and LGBTQ people” who “described many types of dread”.

Taylor Swift was also interviewed as a Silence Breaker, as well as elsewhere in her own interview on her experience testifying against her assailant, David Mueller ⁹. Like many of the other women named as a Silence Breaker, Swift’s “fear became fury” which pushed the movement to its height in 2017. The article qualifies the height of the movement in 2017 while recognizing its growth over time stating:

“This reckoning appears to have sprung up overnight. But it has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries. Women have had it with bosses and co-workers who not only cross boundaries but don’t even seem to know that boundaries exist. They’ve had it with the fear of retaliation, of being blackballed, of being fired from a job they can’t afford to lose. They’ve had it with the code of going along to get along. They’ve had it with men who use their power to take what they want from women. These silence breakers have started a revolution of refusal, gathering strength by the day, and in the past two months alone, their collective anger has spurred immediate and shocking results: nearly every day, CEOs have been fired, moguls toppled, icons disgraced. In some cases, criminal charges have been brought.”

Through 2017, Tarana Burke remained consistent with her focal point being “people of different class race and gender”, maintaining her initial desire to represent the experiences of women of color, as quoted in by TIME.

8. Zacharek, S., Dockterman, E., & Edwards, H. S. (2017). TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers. Time.com. https://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/

9. Dockterman, E. (2017, December 6). “I Was Angry.” Taylor Swift on What Powered Her Sexual Assault Testimony. Time.com. https://time.com/5049659/taylor-swift-interview-person-of-the-year-2017/