Siena Yates
Then there was that God-awful Pepsi ad Kendall Jenner made which appropriated Black Lives Matter protest imagery to sell a product and painted her as a saviour of the people. Or how about that Chainsmokers interview in Billboard in which they boasted about the combined length of their penises?
On a far more serious note, there were the sexual assault and harassment allegations which have plagued entertainment industries all year.
First, we had to watch Kesha fight for her contractual freedom from Dr Luke following a lengthy legal battle which stemmed from accusations she made of the producer raping her. Then Taylor Swift went to court in August to take on a DJ who had groped her, winning a symbolic $1 after testifying fearlessly and unwaveringly.
Then in October, Weinstein-gate hit after scores of women came forward to accuse the producer of sexual assault and harassment. And after him, there was Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Danny Masterson, Matt Lauer, Ryan Seacrest, Dustin Hoffman, Ben Affleck . . . the list now holds names of more than 100 public figures.
And those are just the ones we know about so far which, when you think about the sheer number of women in the women’s marches and the hashtag #MeToo, is merely a drop in the ocean.
Speaking of the women’s marches, 2017 was also the year we saw a puffed up reality TV host inaugurated as President of the United States of America and take aim at the rights of people of colour, women and the rainbow community, and let’s not forget that travel ban.
The entertainment industry couldn’t even escape him after he left; he dominated talk show banter, acceptance speeches, opening monologues, interview fodder, comedy routines and more — there was even a whole horror TV series made off the back of his presidency courtesy of American Horror Story.
This was also a year in which violence infiltrated sacred spaces of music fans; the bombing at Ariana Grande’s Manchester concert, the mass shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival and smaller shootings at concerts in Atlanta and California.
But here’s the thing: From all of this adversity, entertainment has continued to help us rise back up.
We cried through Ariana’s One Love Manchester benefit concert; laughed at Trump through John Oliver, SNL and the like; got representation and diversity from films like Get Out, Call Me By Your Name and even the latest Star Wars.
We channelled our anger through albums like Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN, danced it all away to albums like Lorde’s Melodrama and we rallied against sexual harassment with the help of Rose McGowan, Alyssa Milano, Kesha and Taylor Swift.
And that’s why Taylor Swift has every right to celebrate her wins this year, despite everything that happened — we all do. This is the time of year where we look back and see how far we’ve come in the face of everything we’ve all endured, and if that’s not cause for celebration, I don’t know what it is.
We made it, New Zealand. Meri Kirihimete me te Tau Hou hari ki a koutou katoa.