Powerful Secret Message Hidden In ‘Time’s’ ‘Person Of The Year’ 2017 ‘The Silence Breakers’ Cover Unveiled
Time’s“Person of the Year” issue for 2017 honored more than the actresses and famous celebrities from several industries dubbed as “The Silence Breakers” as the magazine unveils a secret message hidden in the mystifying cover that features an “elbow” amongst the famed people.
According to Refinery29, the magazine cover pays tribute not only to the celebrities like Taylor Swift and Ashley Judd who came forward to “break the silence” and those who launched the #MeToo revolution but also to the other survivors who wished to maintain anonymity but have shared their story just the same.
After examining Time’s cover for this year’s “Person of the Year,” the outlet noticed a stray “elbow” shown just below Swift on the lower right corner of the image. As it turned out, this wasn’t a mistake nor was it a part of a foldout cover.
Appearing on BuzzFeed’s AM to DM morning show, Time national correspondent Charlotte Alter explained that the “elbow” in the cover was put there for a powerful purpose: to represent all the other victims who shared their experiences with predators but remained anonymous.
“That’s very intentional,” Alter said during the show.
Based on a feature posted on Time online, the elbow in the cover belongs to a Texas hospital worker who was a victim of sexual harassment but asked to remain anonymous because she fears for her family.
“She is faceless on the cover and remains nameless inside TIME’s red borders, but her appearance is an act of solidarity, representing all those who are not yet able to come forward and reveal their identities.”
“We wanted to reference the risk these women are taking.” The "elbow" on @time’s Person of the Year cover represents an anonymous woman, @CharlotteAlter says. #AM2DM pic.twitter.com/XXoSj3jdwS
— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM) December 6, 2017
According to the Time correspondent, anonymous survivors play a significant part of this year’s “Person of the Year” issue as “The Silence Breakers.” While the stigma that surrounds sexual harassment and assault had been somewhat removed by the launching of the #MeToo movement, many victims are still hesitant to come forward because of several reasons.
“It’s important to include people who have to stay anonymous for professional reasons, who don’t have the resources to weather what would happen if they lost their job or they couldn’t support their families.”
Aside from the cover, the inside of Time’s“Person of the Year” 2017 issue also featured other women who shared their story but protected their identity by having their photos taken while facing backward.
Plus, joining a crowd of women featured in the magazine is actor and former NFL player Terry Crews, who also spoke up against predators as well as those who support them—albeit unintentionally—by blaming the victims.
.@terrycrews: "Men need to hold other men accountable" #TIMEPOY https://t.co/SZSbSJHeVc pic.twitter.com/onCZHNhR3w
— TIME (@TIME) December 7, 2017
While they may be the least known out of all “The Silence Breakers” featured in the magazine, those anonymous survivors play a huge part in solving the problem that has plagued not only Hollywood, but every workplace in the world.
