Taylor Swift, musician Este Haim, actress Jaime King, producer Harvey Weinstein and recording artist Lorde attend The Weinstein Company party. Photo / Getty
Taylor Swift, musician Este Haim, actress Jaime King, producer Harvey Weinstein and recording artist Lorde attend The Weinstein Company party. Photo / Getty
Explosive sexual assault claims, furious clashes and an astonishing fall from grace for some of Hollywood's most famous men: it's been a remarkable year for the #MeToo movement.
Yet after 12 months of extraordinary transformation, the world is left in an uncertain place. Who holds the power now, and how far have things really changed?
Megan Fox, who previously claimed director Michael Bay had sexualised her when she was 15 on the Bad Boys II set, recently confessed she still felt she could not reveal her experiences of harassment because she was not "a sympathetic victim".
Actress Megan Fox. Photo / Getty
The backlash to the women who have come forward to tell their stories has been brutal.
The celebrated leaders of the #MeToo movement dedicated themselves to exposing allegations of abuse or harassment, but have since been humiliated and seen their reputations destroyed.
Charmed star Rose McGowan's erratic behaviour repeatedly undermined her equality message, while Asia Argento's achievements in advancing women's rights were tarnished when she was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy.
The visceral reaction to the movement and its sometimes damaged or compromised advocates — often the most willing to speak out — has extended around the world.
In Australia, morning show Sunrise came under fire for a one-sided segment on how #MeToo had "gone too far". Interviewing the author of #MenToo, which criticised the campaign for female empowerment, host Samantha Armytage said she knew men who were scared.
For every leap forward, there has been a fierce push back.
Bill Cosby departs the Montgomery County Courthouse after a preliminary hearing, May 24, 2016, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Photo / Getty
The wheels were sent in motion for this brave new era when legendary producer Harvey Weinstein was publicly accused of numerous sex attacks on young and vulnerable actresses in October last year.
Two months later, Kevin Spacey was axed from House Of Cards after claims he allegedly sexually harassed actor Anthony Rapp when he was just 14.
In September, "America's Dad" Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in jail after years of accusations for drugging and assaulting a woman.
David Copperfield and Mario Testino were accused of sexual assault, Seal was accused of sexual battery — a claim later dropped by police — while Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, James Franco and Louis C.K. were other famous names accused of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.
This tricked down to the non-famous, with women increasingly calling out sexism and sexual harassment in every aspect of their lives, including the workplace, the media, at home and walking along a street.
After a lull following the first wave of feminism, female celebrities have recently lined up to identify themselves under the label, and call out inequality in the entertainment industry.
Feminism became cool, appearing emblazoned on T-shirts and discussed by empowered stars including Beyonce, Emma Watson and Amber Heard.
But its popularity provoked arguments. Different factions disagreed over what empowerment looked like. Some questioned whether advocates such as model Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian could really claim they were advancing women's rights by stripping off.
Others doubted the veracity of some women's allegations. How far have we really come?
The allegations go all the way to the top — but its there that the contradictions are most evident.
US President Donald Trump was taken to task not only over his comments about grabbing women on the Access Hollywood tapes, but over his support for a Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh accused of attempting to rape a teenage high school student when he was at college.
Yet, Mr Kavanaugh was confirmed to the highest court in the United States, despite a furious public debate over his alleged behaviour.
Mr Trump won the presidency in 2016 despite the recording of him boasting about sexual assault — and he remains there. Despite allegations he had affairs with a porn star and a Playboy model before paying to keep them quiet, he is so far unscathed.
In January, his Republican Party will have its lowest number of women in Congress since 1994 — down from 23 to 13. Female voters favoured the Democrats over the GOP by 59 per cent to 40 per cent in November's midterm elections.
A total of 95 per cent of violent attacks on women are still carried out by men. Sexual abuse and even murder of women by men remains devastatingly common. Pay disparities persist.
The Handmaid's Tale is one of the year's most popular stories, portraying a dystopian future in which a brutal backlash sent women's rights catapulting back into the darkest of ages.
Increasingly, woman are standing up against the inequalities, inconsistencies and unacceptable norms in our daily lives.
But the reaction from those furious at watching their power ebb away has never been so potent.
