'The Silence Breakers' behind #MeToo movement named Time's Person of the Year


Time named "the Silence Breakers" who launched the #MeToo movement as the 2017 Person of the Year. "The people who have broken their silence on sexual assault and harassment span all races, all income classes, all occupations, and virtually all corners of the globe," Time writes. "Their collective anger has spurred immediate and shocking results."
The cover photograph shows a number of accusers, including Taylor Swift, who earlier this year countersued a Denver radio DJ who she claimed groped her, and Adama Iwu, who spurred an investigation in the California state Senate after describing harassment. It also includes the anonymous and symbolic elbow of "a woman we talked to … who doesn't feel that she can come forward without threatening her livelihood," Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal told Today:
Runners-up include Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. President Trump was the first runner-up after being named the 2016 Person of the Year. He tweeted in November that "Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named 'Man (Person) of the Year,' like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!" Time later rejected his account.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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