Why Were The Oscars So Quiet About the #MeToo and Time’s Up Movements?

Over the past many months, Hollywood has been in the midst of one of the biggest reckonings in its storied history. Thanks to the fearless women at the center of these movements, #MeToo and Time’s Up have shifted the conversations around one of the biggest industries in America, calling out men who have been sexually inappropriate in the workplace and even ending the careers of some of the industry’s most heinous offenders. These movements have worked to hold Hollywood’s feet to the fire; however, you wouldn’t get that impression from watching the 90th Annual Academy Awards.

Whereas the Golden Globes, Grammys, and BAFTAs brought Hollywood’s reckoning front and center, these movements watched as more of an afterthought during Hollywood’s biggest night. This isn’t one writer being particular. BuzzFeed’s Alanna Bennett pointed out only five major moments that were associated with the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, and as Jezebel’s Diana Moskovitz reminded everyone, Kobe Bryant won an Oscar last night despite being accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in 2003. E! even allowed Ryan Seacrest to continue hosting its red carpet despite the allegations against the host (though some of the biggest stars of the night intentionally snubbed him). As a point of comparison, during the Golden Globes’ red carpet, most celebrities wore all black and pins supporting the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements; at the Grammys’, celebrities wore white roses as a symbol of solidarity; and at the BAFTAs, many attendees wore all black and donated to the UK Justice and Equality Fund.

That said, there were some truly inspiring moments at this year’s Oscars. Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, was in attendance and made a cameo during Common and Andra Day’s performance. Salma Hayek, Annabella Sciorra, and Ashley Judd — three women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and assault — presented a tribute to equality and inclusion. Frances McDormand gave a harrowing acceptance speech, calling for “inclusion riders”, and the loser of the Best Actress category were caught in an emotional hug toward the end of the night. However, aside from the stray Time’s Up pin and the occasional jab from host Jimmy Kimmel, Hollywood’s time of reckoning didn’t make much of an appearance on its biggest night. Why were the Oscars so quiet about these movements? And what, if anything, does this mean for the future of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements?

Hollywood takes the Oscars very seriously

This is likely the biggest reason why the Oscars focused on the performances this year instead of the controversial accusations surrounding some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Whereas the Golden Globes is often seen as a more relaxed awards show, the Oscars matter. As Kimmel said in an interview with ABC before hosting the night, the Oscars is “for people who have been dreaming about maybe winning an Oscar for their whole lives.” It’s not ideal, but it would make a certain amount of sense that the stars at the center of this huge night would want to focus on their personal successes rather than their industry’s failings. Or put another way, some celebrities may have felt it would be safer to fall in line with the Academy’s traditional views of the night rather than cause an impassioned commotion.

However, in the very recent past, the Oscars have proven it doesn’t mind straying from the celebrations of the night to focus on more serious fare. Barbed criticisms and impassioned rants about Donald Trump partially defined the 2017 Academy Awards, from Kimmel’s quips about Trump being racist to Gael Garcia Bernal saying “as a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being, I’m against any form of wall that separates us.” It’s true that very few responses are comparable to the passion that followed the 2016 election, but last year’s Oscars at least proved the ceremony is willing to break from tradition a little bit.

 

Jimmy Kimmel isn’t Seth Meyers

The host of any awards show works to set its tone, and in the case of this year’s Golden Globes, Meyers set the night’s barbed, snarky, and no-prisoners tone early. This isn’t necessarily to say that one host was better than the other. As mentioned before, the Globes is a much more relaxed awards show than the Oscars, and Meyers was hosting during what now feels like a very different time. Hollywood in early January was furious, but in the past weeks, it feels as if the climate has calmed down a bit.

That’s the Hollywood Kimmel and his everyman charm reflected in his segments, a Hollywood that was more interested in taking a break and celebrating its achievements than starting a revolution. Kimmel did make some pointed remarks about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements in his opening speech. He targeted Weinstein in particular, saying, “Harvey deserved it the most,” and used that moment to call out the hypocrisy of the Academy. However, the tone Kimmel set for the night was best described after the late night host gave his support to the student activists at Parkland. “This is a night for positive change,” he said. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a departure from awards shows of the past.

Time has passed since the genesis of the Time’s Up movement

The Globes premiered in what felt like the middle of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. From late November into January, the news cycle was dominated by stories about fearless women coming forward to take action against their accusers. However, as the weeks have gone on, these stories have started to become less prominent. Other huge, tragic crises like the shooting in Parkland, Fla., have understandably taken over national attention and conversations.

This is all to say that when the Globes, BAFTAs, and Grammys all premiered, conversations about sexual harassment, abuse, and misconduct felt like the biggest issue of the day. Sadly, that is no longer the case. That, combined with how seriously Hollywood takes its biggest night and how particular the Academy can be, likely led to an social environment where prominently supporting these movements didn’t feel as dire or necessary as it did in the past.

So does that mean it’s Time’s Up for the Time’s Up movement?

Not by a long shot. As mentioned before, there were many celebrities like Frances McDormand and the Coco team who made a point to speak up about pushing for equality, embracing fellow women, and making Hollywood a better, more inclusive place. Also, many of Hollywood’s top stars have already publicly expressed their support to these movements. Though Hollywood’s biggest night failed to unify around the industry’s reckoning, that doesn’t mean that reckoning is over.