Together, we catalyzed cultural change in 2017. Over the past year, our films continued to ignite a dialogue both across the US and globally. Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In have been seen by more than 10 million people and screened in all 50 states and over 80 countries. Through our social media platforms and campaigns, we regularly engage 5 million people on any given week, inspiring scores of people all over the world to take action.

In 2017, we also influenced major moments in the cultural zeitgeist. At the Super Bowl, we saw that sexism didn’t sell and advertisers continued to listen to our #NotBuyingIt campaign because of the millions who joined us. We used #AskHerMore on the red carpet with more than 8 million people joining the conversation to call on reporters to ask about more than just dresses, setting the stage for female artists to stand together to expose sexual harassment and abuse this year. Our #RepresentHer calling cards encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to contact their representatives and fight for gender equality legislation. In November, our first Facebook live screening of The Mask You Live In reached over 700,000 people with many sharing their reactions to the film in real time.

And against all odds, the #MeToo movement transformed 2017 into a watershed cultural moment for survivors. For decades, a plethora of individuals and organizations have worked to change attitudes and beliefs around gender, gender-based violence, and cultural norms. We should celebrate this progress, all the while acknowledging that there is still so much more work to be done particularly for women of color, LGBTQ women, and working-class women (who often catalyze these movements to begin with and yet disproportionately are targets of violence and inequality). In the next year, we must continue to band together. Because change is only possible when we awaken enough people’s hearts and minds to ensure justice for all.

I’m proud of our work at The Representation Project. We fight every day to change people’s attitudes and behaviors around limiting stereotypes and gender norms, so that everyone can fulfill their human potential. That is why this week, we’re asking you, your friends, and family to join the movement to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes and cultural norms in 2018. Together, we can keep speaking truth to power and make this year the one where we make sustained change against limiting gender stereotypes and cultural norms.

Onwards,

Jennifer Siebel Newsom & The Representation Project Team