Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018)
In this paper we assess to what extent Oprah Winfrey’s speech during the Golden Globes 2018, situated in the new context of the #MeToo movement and the Time’s Up initiative, destabilizes the modes of recognition of gender violence, offering an example of the operationalization of the concept of ‘et...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
2018-08-01
|
| Series: | Revista Teknokultura |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/TEKN/article/view/59362 |
| _version_ | 1811206897443799040 |
|---|---|
| author | Rebeca Maseda García Emma Gómez Nicolau |
| author_facet | Rebeca Maseda García Emma Gómez Nicolau |
| author_sort | Rebeca Maseda García |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
In this paper we assess to what extent Oprah Winfrey’s speech during the Golden Globes 2018, situated in the new context of the #MeToo movement and the Time’s Up initiative, destabilizes the modes of recognition of gender violence, offering an example of the operationalization of the concept of ‘ethical witnessing’ in communication media brought about by celebrities. In order to do so we consider the connections she establishes between the fight for rights and other fights for recognition, redistribution and participation; the degree of transgression of the reified models of identification of the subjectvictim and the focus on the capacity of agency; and the type of relationship that develops between the subject who gives testimony and the witness. The paper concludes that Oprah’s intersectional approach to gender violence, her focus on agency and resistance (verging on heroism), her role as both witness of her own victimization and facilitator of others’ testimonies, and her activism and inspiration for others to engage socially and politically, comes close to transgressing the boundaries of the current mode of recognition and representation of gender violence. Nevertheless, the widely accepted image of Oprah as an authority assumes a hierarchical relation that contravenes an ethical dimension of witnessing. In addition, in line with a liberal position, Oprah reimagines the ‘good victim’ as an empowered individual who overcomes vulnerability, and she envisions the eradication of gender inequality as something that comes from the top down.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T03:55:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ba5bf01f9c0403fb267459048df3e87 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1549-2230 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T03:55:46Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Teknokultura |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ba5bf01f9c0403fb267459048df3e872022-12-22T03:48:50ZengUniversidad Complutense de MadridRevista Teknokultura1549-22302018-08-0115210.5209/TEKN.5936255696Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018)Rebeca Maseda García0Emma Gómez Nicolau1University of Alaska AnchorageUniversitat Jaume I In this paper we assess to what extent Oprah Winfrey’s speech during the Golden Globes 2018, situated in the new context of the #MeToo movement and the Time’s Up initiative, destabilizes the modes of recognition of gender violence, offering an example of the operationalization of the concept of ‘ethical witnessing’ in communication media brought about by celebrities. In order to do so we consider the connections she establishes between the fight for rights and other fights for recognition, redistribution and participation; the degree of transgression of the reified models of identification of the subjectvictim and the focus on the capacity of agency; and the type of relationship that develops between the subject who gives testimony and the witness. The paper concludes that Oprah’s intersectional approach to gender violence, her focus on agency and resistance (verging on heroism), her role as both witness of her own victimization and facilitator of others’ testimonies, and her activism and inspiration for others to engage socially and politically, comes close to transgressing the boundaries of the current mode of recognition and representation of gender violence. Nevertheless, the widely accepted image of Oprah as an authority assumes a hierarchical relation that contravenes an ethical dimension of witnessing. In addition, in line with a liberal position, Oprah reimagines the ‘good victim’ as an empowered individual who overcomes vulnerability, and she envisions the eradication of gender inequality as something that comes from the top down. https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/TEKN/article/view/59362activismconfessionethical witnessingintersectionalityvictim. |
| spellingShingle | Rebeca Maseda García Emma Gómez Nicolau Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018) Revista Teknokultura activism confession ethical witnessing intersectionality victim. |
| title | Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018) |
| title_full | Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018) |
| title_fullStr | Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018) |
| title_short | Time’s Up, celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms: The case of Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes (2018) |
| title_sort | time s up celebrities and the transformation of gender violence paradigms the case of oprah winfrey s speech at the golden globes 2018 |
| topic | activism confession ethical witnessing intersectionality victim. |
| url | https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/TEKN/article/view/59362 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rebecamasedagarcia timesupcelebritiesandthetransformationofgenderviolenceparadigmsthecaseofoprahwinfreysspeechatthegoldenglobes2018 AT emmagomeznicolau timesupcelebritiesandthetransformationofgenderviolenceparadigmsthecaseofoprahwinfreysspeechatthegoldenglobes2018 |