“Man of the year” Time — the people who told him about the harassment. Whose elbow on a magazine cover? What makes Taylor swift? Why not men?
December 6 Time magazine named “man of the year”. In 2017, the editors decided not to award the title to one person, and has dedicated the December issue to all the people who dared to publicize what they have experienced sexual violence and harassment, in particular, participated in the flash mob #MeToo. The cover of the issue has raised many questions — for example, about whose elbow was in the frame, or whether it was the singer Taylor swift. “Jellyfish” tells the story of the controversy surrounding the cover of Time.
.@2017 TIME’s Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers https://t.co/7cYyxgpU5U pic.twitter.com/lL1PH4STcS
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 6, 2017.
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What’s wrong with Taylor swift?
“Do Taylor swift place on the cover of Time?”, “Taylor swift is the Queen of silence”, “is it True Taylor swift broke the silence, according to Time?” — with such titles came the articles on the cover of Time in many American publications. The social media response was even tougher. Users wondered what the singer has earned a place on the cover, although it is not the most active accuser Harvey Weinstein — actress rose McGowan.
Swift has accused that she is not commenting on the rights of women, but manages to steal your spotlight, and the edition that the singer is on the cover just to boost sales.
“I’m not going to discount her experience, but she never post in their influential social networks at least something about #metoo”, — reminded in the Twitter the journalist New York Magazine Yashar Ali.
In fact, a formal reason to include Taylor in the heroines room about sexual harassment at the publication was. In August 2017 the singer after a two-year trial proved in court that was the victim of harassment.
In 2013, taking pictures with the 23-year-old singer before her concert, 51-Deni DJ Denver radio station David Muller put his arm around swift, pulled up her skirt and grabbed a naked buttock. After the singer complained to her mother and Manager, and those — the management of the radio station, Muller was fired. A man has filed a lawsuit against swift for libel and demanded three million dollars.
In response (and only after allegations were made against) swift sent a counter-claim — harassment, demanding a symbolic compensation of one dollar. 15 August 2017, the court held that swift rights and harassment really was.
Criticism of the editorial decision Time indicate that all of these events were preceded by stories about Harvey Weinstein and flashmob #MeToo (they happened in the autumn) — and in addition that the singer is in conflict with the DJ obviously had more power than her opponent.
On the one hand, as noted by Vox, it does not negate the fact that swift is still a victim of harassment. On the other, according to The Daily Beast, this is one case that is not too fit into the overall strategy swift is careful and prudent.
However, the singer used the court decision to speak out about the problem of harassment that affect many. In an interview with Time she says in similar vein: “If this man had the nerve to attack me in such risky circumstances, imagine what he could do with vulnerable a young artist, if he had the chance.”
Who is the other heroine of the cover?
In addition to Taylor swift on the cover of Time depicted four women: the actress Ashley Judd, the developer of the Uber Susan Fowler, a lobbyist Adam Quince and picking strawberries from Mexico under the pseudonym Isabel Pascual.
Ashley Judd is the first who directly accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in sexual harassment (her story was detailed in the first investigation of Weinstein, published in The New York Times). Susan Fowler in February of 2017, spoke about the culture of harassment in Uber (and how the company’s management did not respond to her complaints). Adam Quince after the first investigations about the Weinstein organized a petition We Said Enough with a demand to stop harassment of women in politics. “Isabel Pascual” participated in a demonstration against the harassment at Los Angeles, where ordinary workers supported movie stars: she was the victim of a Stalker at home, still afraid of the man and therefore uses in the edition of the alias (in this case her portrait is on the cover of the magazine).