Millions of women and allies have taken to social media and to the streets to declare that time is up on sexism, inequality, and sexual harassment. But for Dylan Farrow, time's also up for self-proclaimed allies who claim to support the #MeToo movement while also benefitting professionally and financially from working with alleged sexual predators like her father, Woody Allen.
On Tuesday morning, Justin Timberlake, who recently starred in Allen's film, Wonder Wheel, tweeted what he probably thought was a harmless, perhaps rhetorical, question: "Can someone please explain the saying, 'You just want your cake and to eat it too.' What else am I about to do with a cake??"
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Enter Farrow with the most articulate, relevant explanation, possibly ever.
"The saying means, for example, you can't support #TimesUp and praise sexual predators at the same time," Farrow tweeted in response. "You can't retain your credibility as an activist (i.e. retain the cake) and, at the same time, praise a sexual predator (i.e. eating the cake)."
The saying means, for example, you can’t support #TIMESUP and praise sexual predators at the same time. You can’t retain your credibility as an activist (i.e. - retain the cake) and, at the same time, praise a sexual predator (i.e. - eating the cake).
— Dylan Farrow (@RealDylanFarrow) January 23, 2018
Farrow, who has for years claimed that Allen sexually abused her as a child, has been both an outspoken advocate and critic of #MeToo, pushing survivors and allies to treat older allegations of harassment and assault with the same sense of urgency as they grant an accusation that's surfacing publicly for the first time.
She raises a valid point: Allen has been treated far more leniently than other alleged high-profile predators. While Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey lost career opportunities, Allen has yet to have a movie canceled or contract dropped. He's regularly surrounded by celebrities, like Timberlake and Kate Winslet, who praise his work and his character. Yet, these same celebrities then wear #TimesUp lapel pins, sport all black to awards ceremonies, or in Timberlake's case, dedicate an entire track to being a "woke" ally, as a demonstration of solidarity.
Seeing Timberlake straddle both sides of #MeToo isn't only frustrating for Farrow; it's also incredibly triggering.
"Today I will be triggered by every movie ad, every review, every mention of the man who stole my childhood from me," she wrote in a series of tweets on December 15, 2017, the day Wonder Wheel debuted in cinemas in the US. Later, she added, "When we enable powerful predators, in every walk of life, we are willing accomplices in the continued harm on their victims. We are complicit."
Farrow's messages seem to be resonating with some in the industry, including actress Rebecca Hall, who donated her salary from the upcoming Allen film, A Rainy Day in New York to the Time's Up legal defence fund. Actor Timothée Chalamet, too, stated that he intends to donate his salary from the same film to a variety of organisations, including Time's Up and RAINN. Maybe Timberlake should ask them how to handle this whole cake-eating conundrum.