What Oprah Winfrey’s Speech at the Golden Globes Reveals About Media
Since October 2017, former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been scrutinized by international media following accusations of sexual misconduct and rape from over 50 actresses who starred in the mogul’s movies. In 2018, the Golden Globes’ red carpet was filled with demonstrations of solidarity against sexual harassment in the industry, as actresses and actors decided to attend dressed in black. Pictures and reactions soon took over social media, but it was Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award that stole the headlines. Repercussions of her delivery open discussion of the role of media in the process of instigating action in society. In an emotional and charged delivery, the television host took to addressing issues beyond harassment, directing the spotlight to collective efforts of feminist movements.
Once on stage, Oprah proves her understanding of the media as a means for discourse, as she praises it for its ability to expose as well as bring together people in a call to action. She does so on two specific occasions, the first one being her acknowledgment of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as she says “I value the press more than ever before […] I am especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories”. As she contrasts these women against cases like Recy Taylor and many others “whose names we’ll never know”, she expresses a sense of gratitude and responsibility to those who paved the way to #MeToo. Winfrey offers a validation of this platform of female empowerment and militancy. In other words, giving voice to those with stories to share allows them to become active in a community of like-minded people who, with enough persistence, can move campaigns forward and cause political change.
The second occasion in which it is possible to identify praise of media’s reach is when she says, “In my career, what I’ve always tried my best to do, whether on television or through film, is to say something about how men and women really behave. […] I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon.”. Through the accessibility of live streaming, news reporting, and computer-mediated communications, the philanthropist’s words are widely available to viewers all over the world. This widespread of communication methods changed the way in which any person can now have an active voice in a community that shares common experiences and opinions.
In “The Political Aesthetics of the Feminist Documentary Film”, author Julia Lesage discusses notions of female representation and public involvement in her study of feminist filmmaking. Lesage poses the importance of “women in the private sphere getting together to define/redefine their experiences” as well as the social demand to name a “strong woman” whose perspective aligns with that of the filmmaker as well as the audience, reinforcing the sense of a collective cause. Oprah Winfrey is exemplifying the “strong woman” that Lesage talks about and her message of empowerment through sharing personal experiences speaks to Lesage’s notion of redefining norms through organized collective demand. The naming of other women’s experiences works in collaboration with those efforts as women have a chance to converse and reflect in familiar levels.
As Oprah commemorates these efforts by the media, it is impossible not to consider the ways in which this very entity she praises captures events such as the Golden Globes and transforms them into viral sensations. The day after the Golden Globes, online headlines such as “Activism Hits the Red Carpet and Oprah Hits a Home Run at the Golden Globes” (National Public Radio, US) and “As it Happened: Three Billboards and Lady Bird win top awards after Oprah steals the show” (Independent, UK) were published both in the USA and abroad. Moreover, leading up to the Golden Globes, the world witnessed social media as the main platform for updates on Weinstein’s legal proceedings and for statements from actresses about their personal experiences. In light of these accounts, Oprah’s statement is confirmed that, “Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year we became the story”.
It is interesting to consider these factors from the scholarly perspective of Stuart Hall’s study of mass communications. He considered the role of ‘the story’ as an object of the media, specifically as a “communicative event”. Hall suggests that the status as ‘story’ opens social and political discourse that allows for a message to be formed and transmitted to the viewers. Considering the ways that media allows for the fast circulation of information, it can be said that the way in which the event is portrayed by initial broadcast is a key ‘moment’, to use Hall’s terms, in the greater process of communicating a common approval for Oprah’s cause.
The repercussions of Oprah’s speech capture the circularity of media trends and stories. An event that was caused by the growing uproar behind the online manifestation #MeToo saw its resolution is a new hashtag. As Oprah left the stage spectators took to social media to call for a presidential campaign under a new hashtag, #Oprah2020. From one trend to another, whether the presidential campaign becomes reality or not, this drive to vocalize sentiments online shows the effectiveness of media’s empowerment and unifying abilities.
Now with over ten million views, the video of Oprah Winfrey’s speech travelled far carrying the message of female empowerment, the power of unity and the interconnectedness of modern society through mass media. In the context of feminist manifestations gaining momentum in the film industry, Julia Lesage’s and Stuart Hall’s works show us that through the broad reach of televised and broadcast communications, women can share their stories and learn from each other. In the closing words of Oprah Winfrey, “it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say, ‘me too’ ever again.”. In fact, her words have the potential to reach many others beyond that room and yet influence their behaviour just as strongly.
