3 Reactions We All Had While Watching the Globes Last Night

All the good, the bad, and the work still yet to be done.

1. The collective eye roll on the red carpet

Converse / Via giphy.com

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

While they were given scripts with the right sentiments, the male red carpet hosts were so inherently uncomfortable with getting into the depth of anything. After interviewing Emma Watson and British activist, Marai Larasi, Ryan Seacrest told them to “try and have some fun tonight.” He needed things to be fun so they could be comfortable for HIM.

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

Literally, two seconds after Tarana Burke started talking the camera panned to someone else on the red carpet. Sure, it seemed like the red carpet hosts had been prepped to ask appropriate questions on the movement, but what about the rest of the production team? Everyone should have been prepared for sensitivity of the night, including camera crew and producers. It’s not just about asking the activists the right questions, it’s about every step in the process.

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

As a strategist for brands, I found it a miss not to have created some special social media content or a custom spot during this show to speak out in support of the Time’s Up Movement in a similar way that they do for the Superbowl. Shout out to Facebook and NY Times for showing up on that front.

2. Exhausted from the heavy lifting

Colbert Late Show / Via giphy.com

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

If you didn’t do anything wrong, you shouldn’t be terrified of hearing your name read out loud. It is not women’s responsibility to make men feel more comfortable. This isn’t the elephant in the room, this IS the room.

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

How impactful would it have been if Hanks or Spielberg or Skårsgard had brought activists as their guests? Instead, men got to bring their wives and go about business as usual and the women had to do all the emotional labor to bring awareness to the movement.

Oh, and Justin Timberlake with his “my wife is so hot this is why we wear black” BS….file that under Men Missing The Point.

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

Speaking of Skårsgard…HOW CAN YOU WIN AN AWARD FOR PLAYING A CHARACTER THAT DEPICTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND NOT USE YOUR TIME ON STAGE TO BRING AWARENESS TO SAID DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? That is all.

3. FTW. Speak truth to power.

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

White people presented and white people won. For the most part, anyway. We spoke of diversity, but we didn't see the diversity. We won’t ever have the inclusive world we dream of if we don’t start from the ground level and work our way up. There has to be stories written and produced with a diverse cast of characters for them to even get to the award shows in the first place.

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

Oprah saved the Globes for me. She knows not only how to take a moment, but make a moment. Last night, she filled the void of well-spoken leadership that we are yearning for in this country. Her speech is required viewing (maybe twice on bad days).

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

Thank you to Natalie Portman for not letting us forget for a second that the Directing category was missing some very deserving female nominees (cough, cough Greta Gerwig...cough, cough Patty Jenkins).

Jess Weiner / Via Twitter: @JessWeiner

Harvey Weinstein isn't the only predator in Hollywood. A lot of predators wore pins last night and were hiding in plain sight. Just a reminder, Franco (among others) are still being accused of this behavior and his win for best actor proves we’re not out of the woods yet. Wearing the pins doesn’t cut it. This industry has long protected and awarded predators and just one night of industry awareness isn’t going to change that. We can’t lose the momentum here--stay diligent and keep listening to the women speaking up.

WHAT’S NEXT?

This list is meant to be a reminder that this behavior is internalized in such a deep level in our culture and that while we're seeing momentum, we can't take our foot off the gas. If at next year’s Golden Globes there is no movement or follow-up to last night, we will be having a different conversation. But until then, we have to make this the norm until the culture adapts to the new norm.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Right now, here are 3 things you can do:

1. If you can give, give to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund.

2. Be an upstander in your space of business. Be alert and aware and a champion for systemic change.

3. If you work in Hollywood and you’re a funder or a producer, find the courage and the conviction to seek out diverse stories and help tell them. And for all of us, it’s not just enough to ask Hollywood to show up, we have to show up too by supporting films with diverse casts and speaking out about those that still don't make the mark.