Picture via Instagram
TIME's choice for their 2017 Person of the Year could not be apter considering the headlines we've seen lately, filled with men being ousted from positions of power after allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
The Silence Breakers are those that came forward about the sexual abuse that has long been hidden in Hollywood circles, who then prompted others living with painful trauma to expose sexual predators. The TIME cover features the likes of Taylor Swift and former Uber engineer Susan Fowler.
The first to speak out was actress Ashley Judd. She went on the record in October this year, talking to the New York Times about how Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her.
It wasn't the first time she'd spoken about the incident, though. According to her, Harvey's behaviour was an open secret in Hollywood, but she and other women felt powerless to stop him.
"Were we supposed to call some fantasy attorney general of moviedom?" Judd said to TIME, "There wasn't a place for us to report these experiences."
Considering that these women are movie stars, Hollywood elite, and they felt they could do nothing in their positions, one can only feel for other women with less status who experience the same sexual misconduct.
While the accusations seem to have sprung up overnight, TIME focused on the fact that those coming forward are women and men who have been long fed up with keeping secret something that caused them so much pain.
The Silence Breakers started a movement, and it was seen across the Internet through the hashtag #MeToo, translated into #BalanceTonPorc, #YoTambien, #Ana_kaman, and numerous others. Women and men banded together, speaking out against those harmed them, from TV presenter Matt Lauer to actor Kevin Spacey.
TIME also released their shortlist for their 2017 Person of the Year. Donald Trump took the second spot, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in third place.
Trump infamously tweeted last week about the impending announcement of TIME's top title, claiming that he was supposedly going to be named Person of the Year again, but he decided to pass on the opportunity.
Ironically, Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct in the past, following the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which he brags about kissing and touching women non-consensually.
Robert Mueller, the investigator into Russian intervention in the U.S. election, was fourth on the shortlist and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was fifth.
American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick came in sixth, for his kneeling protest during the U.S. national anthem to bring attention to police brutality and racial discrimination in the States.
Last, but not least, on the shortlist is the only woman other than the Silence Breakers: Patty Jenkins, director of the new Wonder Woman film.
Thank you, Silence Breakers, for helping others find their voice in 2017.
