It’s been a fucking awful year, to put it lightly. I’d list all of the major catastrophes to occur in 2024, but that’s a list too long for the internet and too depressing to even type. I think we all know the terrible things to have occurred this year, and we’re all dreading what horrors 2025 will bring, especially in light of recent political results — sigh. But in that darkness is a tiny, flickering flame, and it is Gisèle Pelicot.
While misogyny runs rampant, incel culture becomes genuinely terrifying, and supposed men’s rights activists loudly excuse violence against women, this 72-year-old French woman is the only thing giving me and so many others hope. Gisèle Pelicot has been trending across the internet and discussed in group chats worldwide.
Gisèle Pelicot is many things: a mother, a grandmother, a rape survivor, an advocate, a hero. You know what she isn’t? TIME’s Person Of The Year. As if we needed another middle finger to women absolutely everywhere.
The Gisèle Pelicot rape trial
If you somehow missed the trial of the year, let me summarize it for you. For a more detailed explanation, I recommend checking out this BBC article.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, was arrested in 2020 for filming women’s skirts in a local supermarket. Police subsequently searched his computer equipment and found both images and videos of his wife, Gisèle, being sexually assaulted by a number of individuals, completely unconscious. It turned out that between 2011 and 2020, Dominique had been drugging Gisèle and inviting men on the internet to come and rape her. Some of these men lived in their village and interacted with her on a daily basis. One man missed the birth of his daughter to assault Gisèle.
The extent of this crime isn’t what has caught the public eye — although it’s horrifying enough in its own regard — but Gisèle’s choices. Dominique and fifty of the roughly eighty men went on trial for aggravated rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault. Gisèle waived her right to anonymity and a trial behind closed doors. She explained this decision by saying she didn’t want to be trapped in that room with only those men and that she had nothing to be ashamed of — “When you’re raped, there is shame, and it’s not for us to have shame, it’s for them.”
Secondly, Gisèle kept her surname for the trial (despite obviously divorcing Dominique) as she didn’t wish for her grandchildren to be ashamed of their surname. Instead, she wished for them to associate it with her bravery.
On December 19, Dominique was convicted of aggravated rape and given the maximum 20-year sentence. Forty-nine of the other defendants were found guilty of aggravated rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault and sentenced to between three and fifteen years imprisonment. A fiftieth was found guilty of drugging and raping his own wife. Many spoke in their defense about how they were unaware that it wasn’t consensual, believed Gisèle was faking being asleep, or considered Dominique’s permission to be enough.
Why is Gisèle Pelicot so important?
Gisèle is not the only woman who has been sexually assaulted, not by a mile. She is not the only woman experiencing this kind of prolonged sexual abuse, especially if Dominique’s forums and chat histories are anything to go by. Gisèle is revolutionary in her openness on the matter and her fight for change. She’s inspiring, although that word doesn’t even begin to describe her impact.
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She left court each day to applause from people gathered outside, all of whom wished to show this stranger how much she mattered. Her image has appeared in street art across the globe. She has united victims of abuse and has instigated vital conversations. French President Emmanuel Macron praised her for her “dignity and courage,” while foreign leaders like Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with the international press, also commended her actions.
Megan Clement, a Paris-based journalist who has covered feminism as the editor of the Impact Newsletter, spoke to The Guardian on the impact of this trial in France and beyond. “Every woman I speak to has very strong feelings about this trial,” she said. “It’s astonishing because Gisèle has turned this horrific, horrific incident into something vaguely hopeful and inspiring.”
Clement said Gisèle Pelicot had single-handedly transformed the global conversation around sexual violence, shattering through the shame carried by many survivors. “It’s advancing a new feminist discourse,” she told the outlet. “To have a spokesperson for these feminist ideals when it comes to sexual violence – particularly in this global moment where we’re seeing this anti-feminist backlash – is very powerful.”
Gisèle matters because, too often, we bear such pain in silence and allow the shame to fall on the shoulders of the victim. Gisèle matters because she refuses to be quiet. Gisèle matters because her perpetrators were not monsters. They were fathers, husbands, sons, coworkers, and friends; simply put, they were anyone and everyone.
Who is TIME’s Person of the Year 2024?
Donald Trump was named TIME’s Person of the Year. In 2024, he secured his second presidency, sweeping all seven swing states. He also allegedly survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally. I can’t get into it more, and I don’t think you need me to.
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Last year, Taylor Swift was TIME’s Person of the Year, so maybe they mistakenly assumed they couldn’t have two women in a row (eye roll). But whether you’re a Swiftie or not, you can acknowledge the impact Swift has had on the entertainment industry in terms of artist’s rights, a record-breaking tour, and dedication to her craft. Aside from the world of music, Swift has encouraged fans to be themselves and discusses her feelings and emotions honestly and without hesitation. Or, in an entirely different scope, we can discuss how she donated thousands to food banks in every city she visited and gave over $197 million in bonuses to staff, including truck drivers, caterers, security, and more.
Love or hate her, Swift positively impacted the world and was heavily talked about. Donald Trump may be a name too frequently on everyone’s lips, but it is rarely in a positive light. My political feelings aside, you can’t deny the truth that he was convicted on 34 felony counts and campaigned largely from a New York courtroom. This is the Person of the Year? Another man who has shown little regard for women’s rights and agency of their own body — “grab ‘em by the pussy.”
In their explanation, TIME frequently mentions that the criteria are someone “who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months.” They want us to really understand that in this case, and many others, it goes to the “for worse” side. While I understand that, I’m also disappointed in the platform we provide to individuals who are actively causing harm. TIME even states “In many years, that choice is a difficult one. In 2024, it was not.” This might just be the most painful line in the whole article. It wasn’t even a difficult decision to name a convicted felon and abuser as the Person of the Year. Was there not a moment of hesitation?
Why should Gisèle Pelicot be Person of the Year?
TIME is within its right to showcase individuals who have impacted the world “for better or worse,” but let’s not pretend it is a decision without repercussion. Let’s not act as if we live in a vacuum where we can simply acknowledge a bad person. We are setting a precedent, and powerful women like Gisèle Pelicot are shattering that precedent. This is the woman who has defined 2024.
In a time when I don’t know a single woman without ‘a story,’ I will hold space for those doing their part to change this. I will not fucking listen to a single person say, “Not all men,” because all women have a memory that revisits them. As I mentioned, it’s not monsters in the dark; it is brothers, fathers, and sons. I have yet to see a man on my social media sharing Gisèle’s image or quotes. I have yet to have a man bring her up to me, while every woman mentioned her to me.
Sarah McGrath, who heads Women for Women France, said it better than I ever could. “Lots of men are very quick to say, ‘I would never, I don’t understand how this is possible,’” she said. “They don’t seem to be taking responsibility and leadership on eliminating male violence against women. Which is ridiculous because only men can eliminate male violence against women.”
While TIME may have stuck its head in the sand, other media outlets are far more observant of society’s tides. Gisèle was included on the BBC’s 2024 list of 100 women and the Financial Times’ list of the 25 most influential women of 2024. Gisèle Pelicot is my Person of the Year and has done her part to make the world a better place. Merci, Gisèle.
