Washington - The five women who posed for the December 18 cover
of Time magazine represent the winners of its Person of the Year 2017
award: dozens of people who have broken their silence over sexual
harassment and assault in the workplace.
They were chosen to illustrate that the victims who have come forward
span all races, incomes, occupations and geographic locations.
The women on the cover, all dressed in black, were photographed at a
sound stage in San Francisco, the magazine said. They are:
Ashley Judd: The actress and singer was one of the first to accuse
Harvey Weinstein of harassment during a meeting in 1997 in a New York
Times article this September that opened a floodgate of similar
stories about powerful men.
Taylor Swift: The Grammy Award-winning pop singer and songwriter
successfully counter-sued a former radio disc jockey who was fired
after she accused him of groping her during a photo op.
Isabel Pascual: The Mexican farm worker who works picking
strawberries asked to use a pseudonym to protect her family. Pascual
felt trapped when her harasser began to stalk her at home. If she
told anyone, the abuser warned that he would come after her or her
children.
Susan Fowler: A former Uber engineer, Fowler posted details about
alleged sexual harassment at the ride-hailing Silicon Valley company.
Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick resigned after the allegations,
and the company ousted at least 20 other employees.
Adama Iwu: The corporate lobbyist in Sacramento organized 147 women
to sign an open letter exposing harassment in California government.
Her actions came after she was groped in front of several colleagues
at a public event and was shocked when none of her male co-workers
stepped in to stop the assault.
The sexual harassment and assault stories of several other women,
including actresses, hotel workers and a social activist, are
featured inside the magazine along with photos of many of them.
The stories outline the vulgarity of the harassment itself -
including lewd comments, forced kisses and opportunistic gropes - and
the emotional and psychological aftermath that followed those
advances, Time said.