2. Moral dialogue over sexual harassment
Sexual harassment has long been illegal, but the prohibition was rarely enforced. Norms began to change in 2016, with the outrage over Donald Trump’s “locker room talk,” captured on the Access Hollywood tape. The day after his Inauguration, masses of American women in pink knit “pussy hats” held protest marches. The defeated female candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, tweeted, “Thanks for standing, speaking and marching for our values,” later blaming her defeat partly on misogyny. The disgust swelled again with the Alabama primary victory of Roy Moore, a judge removed from office for breaking man’s law, and accused by multiple women of dating and sexually assaulting them as minors. The dam broke when reputable actresses revealed their experiences of sexual harassment and assault by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Through social media, more women found their voices and were heard. One by one, they credibly accused men at the pinnacle of entertainment, business, academia, and political power of sexual misconduct. Celebrities on the left and right were fired. Politicians and moguls resigned. The frenzied media could barely keep up confirming the allegations. TIME Magazine named “The Silence Breakers,” those women who spoke out against sexual assault,the 2017 PersonoftheYear. Formany,this wave offeminismconstitutes a cultural revolution.
