--- title: Gillian Flynn: Work to Be Done to Fight Sexual Misconduct description: The writer of 'Gone Girl' says there is more work to be done to fight sexual harassment, canonical: https://time.com/5050757/gillian-flynn-on-women-speaking-out-sexual-harassment/ author: Gillian Flynn article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-06T11:00:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:34.183Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Gillian Flynn: 'I Don’t Feel Triumphant. I Feel Humiliated and Angry' og:description: The writer of 'Gone Girl' says there is more work to be done to fight sexual misconduct og:url: https://time.com/5050757/gillian-flynn-on-women-speaking-out-sexual-harassment/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22412f915a9af4eb/6988f3ee7cdbac4f3ed5b249/gillianflynn_shea_100614-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: gillianflynn_shea_100614-fb og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gillian Flynn: 'I Don’t Feel Triumphant. I Feel Humiliated and Angry' twitter:description: The writer of 'Gone Girl' says there is more work to be done to fight sexual misconduct twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22412f915a9af4eb/6988f3ee7cdbac4f3ed5b249/gillianflynn_shea_100614-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Gillian Flynn: A Howl > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._ by [Gillian Flynn](https://time.com/author/gillian-flynn/) ## Gillian Flynn Dec 6, 2017 11:00 AM UTC by [Gillian Flynn](https://time.com/author/gillian-flynn/) ## Gillian Flynn Dec 6, 2017 11:00 AM UTC The outrages and allegations flash through my brain like a nasty, ludicrous slide show of twisted male power. Harvey Weinstein and his potted plant. Charlie Rose and his flapping bathrobe. Roy Moore and the cowboy-booted mall trolling he denies. Louis CK and his humid phone. Matt Lauer and his Bond-villain door bolting. Al Franken and his giddy grabs. I’d like to scrape up some sense of triumph over the fact that many courageous women have raised their voices. But I don’t feel triumphant. I feel humiliated and angry. They hate us. That’s my immediate thought, with each new revelation: They hate us. And then, a more sick-making suspicion: They don’t care about us enough to hate us. We are simply a form of livestock. **Watch: Why the Silence Breakers Are the 2017 Person of the Year** No, not all men, and not even most—but enough. Regardless of our intelligence, wit or perseverance, we are still judged by our faces, breasts and asses. By the amount of energy it would take to assault us: Is she worth the trouble of the bathrobe trick? Women in the workplace. It sounds like a retro Richard Scarry book. I can picture Mother Cat in her ’80s lady-blazer, mentoring us on multi­tasking: Ladies, in addition to doing your jobs, you must devote brain space to dealing with Men in the Workplace. _Dear Mother Cat: My boss cupped my ass during a holiday selfie. Should I just avoid him?_ That would mean fewer assignments, career stagnation. _Damn. Dear Mother Cat: A man who I thought was my mentor came on to me. Does that obliterate everything he said about my work?_ That would mean you can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys. _Damn._ How are we still here? Male entitlement, sure. Power, absolutely. But it all boils down to this: America values women less than men. Don’t call me shrill. Or do. Women have shrill voices for a reason: to sound the alarm. The facts: President Trump was elected despite his public braggadocio about his skill at sexual assault; the Republican National Committee is throwing down money to get Roy Moore elected, despite that whole child-molestation thing. The Internet is toxic with slut-shaming and body-shaming, rape culture and revenge porn. Female techies in Silicon Valley are terrorized for using their voices. Threats to women abound. We are under­represented everywhere, underpaid by everyone and underestimated all over. We are not the People; we are subjects of the Patriarchy. I look at my daughter (and this is how aware women are of our otherness—I immediately wonder whether a man would write about his kids), my fearless, vibrant 3-year-old daughter, and I worry about whether she’ll be crushed by this world. I look at my sweet 7-year-old son and wonder how to ensure that he grows up a thoughtful, decent man like his dad. I actually spend more time worrying over my son: sexual harassment is, after all, a men’s issue. The fact that this seems like a novel idea—men should lead the charge in figuring out how not to rape us during lunch break—would be hilarious if it weren’t heartbreaking. Yes, men (and predatory women; I’m betting the first woman will topple before year’s end—equality!) need to do some introspection and work. What’s not going to work is taking our cues from those who think the answer is to segregate women—men who see us as a sexual risk or, worse, the enemy. That’s called discrimination. And it’s not going to work to keep allegedly abusive men in power—not any of them, whether it’s Moore or (break my heart) Franken. That’s called status quo. What might work is thinking about how we raise our men-to-be. My son recently asked me, “Why aren’t there shirts that say BOY POWER?” I could have talked male entitlement and the male gaze, the wage gap and Weinstein. But I thought: If the myriad GIRL POWER shirts are meant to encourage female strength and confidence, a BOY POWER shirt might make male empathy and respect dynamic. There were no BOY POWER shirts, so I had to DIY an iron-on. Now, there’s at least one. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We can't all be ****. We can't all be asking for it. I am here to give you permission to be angry. This reality might not have to be our reality anymore. I felt this crushing sense of powerlessness. This is the time to take my power back. Here's my story. Uber promises. Investigation into sexual harrassment. Fox News cutting its ties with Bill O'Reilley. I felt it was my duty for the women who are silent to be brave. It's okay to stand up for yourself. Taylor Swift appearing in court today. Harvey Weinstein, the New York- People forget a lot that there's a human behind this. Someone who was very hurt and wronged. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter. I never thought things could change for me. [ MUSIC ] Honestly, I was furious. I have had a man grope me in front of multiple collegues and I was tired of wondering if it was something I wore, I was tired of wondering if it was a vibe I was giving off and when I talked to other women they were furious too >> I felt that if I can speak out, may be if I just stand up then someone else would stand up with me >> There wasn't a place For us to report these experiences. But I sure did talk about it a lot over the years. The least I could do was actually tell my own story and validate theirs for them in a way, just as I was hoping someone much bigger than me would help validate my story. And I knew that other women Would continue to apple for jobs there and that made me feel really uncomfortable. I was afraid of the retaliation, I know the power of patriarchy. I know what men can do when their angry. They did everything that they could to prevent me from raising my concerns further. They asked me if there were other girls, maybe that he has done this too and can I go get them. I had to show them that I wasn't lying And it's like they took me for a joke. And if they couldn't stop us from talking, well, they were gonna stop everybody from listening to us. People digging into my Instagram and pulling up sexy photos as if they kind of discredited me. Well, I've seen you in committee. You're really tough. Why didn't you just hit him? Why did you let it go on for so long? I was a smart young woman that had gone to college, that knew how to fight, and I still was manipulated and conned. I felt ashamed that I hadn't spoken out sooner, not having the strength earlier on to make it stop. The feeling of being humiliated as a woman And there's a point you think is it my fault? For so long I went around harboring this ridiculous belief that because I was a non white woman in my 20s, it was expected that I would have to be treated this way. We don't have to just live like this. Few things could change from my daughter I never thought things could change from me. I'm here to give you permission to be angry, people are afraid specially women where conditioned since birth to be polite. To be nice, to be kind, to be liked to not make waves. ****. We can't all be crazy, we can't all be ****, we can't all be asking for it. And I'm telling you that all the people who stand up, all the people who speak out you are teaching people how to treat and you should not be shamed for that. The shame is not ours to hold, the shame is on perpetrator. Me Too can be a conversation starter or it can be the whole conversation. It took away the power from the predator. And placed the power on the victim. And maybe, just maybe we would be able to get a glimpse at the magnitude of this problem. The amount of people sharing the stories with me is so intense. People that were complete strangers reached out to tell very personal stories. It's What they did with this and they did a lot and not only in France in Hong kong japanese. The most months >> I feel like the day that I spoke up and I said you are a sexual harasser I changed >> some of the. Things in the night. [ FOREIGN ]. It's an honor to be the person that hey I spoke up about this. I took on the risk. And I was very humbled and I was very proud. I'm very glad now that the story has been heard. It's a direct response to that arrogance and that show of power and [ UNKNOWN ]. A sense, we won't be silenced. 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