What has changed within the #MeToo Movement in 2019?

A note to activists and the history of the inspiring movement on International Women's Day.

In 2018 when The New York Times published the exposure of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein, industries all over the world were woken up. The offensive allegations made against the popular film mogul started a worldly discussion within many different industries and how little change there has been.

Weinstein encouraged his wife's designs on to celebrities to wear on the red carpet, award shows, and premieres. He then ventured to the smaller screen production, Project Runway. No allegations from the show have been made against Weinstein that are publicly known, but it did spark a conversation within the fashion industry.

“The fashion industry, much like the entertainment industry, is being exposed for what lies beneath the shiny surface.”

The exposure led to fashion magazines and brands to break connections with photographer Terry Richardson, who has been a subject of allegations of inappropriate behaviour involved in photo shoots for almost two decades.

Since the outburst, Richardson has continued his work and has since photographed Barak Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Kate Moss. Another controversial shoot was Kylie Jenners' 2017 calendar when she was 19, which was highly sexualised by Richardsons' photography style. Since this, Valentino and Bulgari stopped the employment of Richardson. This came after a decision to drop the photographer by Conde Nast, publisher of Vanity Fair, GQ, and Vogue.

Male model Jason Boyce spoke out with claims of misconduct against Bruce Weber, American Fashion Photographer, and occasional filmmaker. Boyce had accused Weber of inappropriate touching during a casting and taking legal action.

This allegation encouraged 4 other models to come forward with sexual harassment claims by the photographer, some being just 18 years old.

In an industry where vulnerable models are forced into work, there are always people curating change. Activist and model Cameron Russel has an Instagram page dedicated to sharing anonymous sexual harassment and women's issues within the industry.

https://www.instagram.com/cameronrussell/?hl=en

Viktor & Rolf started 2019 with the Spring/Summer collection, titled Fashion Statements, in other words, a middle finger from women. Pretty pastel dresses, with a feel of the 80s power suit in every piece. The personal favourite was an oversized pale sea blue dress covered in ruffles, which stated 'NO' in contrasting red felt engulfing the dress.

http://www.viktor-rolf.com/haute-couture/fashion-statements/

The fashion industry, much like the entertainment industry, is being exposed for what lies beneath the shiny surface. The #MeToo movement has proven its stance in 2018, but with models still coming forward with allegations of sexual assault, misconduct and harassment, issues are still reflecting a dated outlook on women's rights. The inspiring movement shows awful experiences transpires to positive changes for 2019.

We're moving in the right direction.

Happy International Women's Day!