The winner of Time's prestigious 'Person of the Year' title has finally been announced, and has drawn in slightly more attention than it usually does this time around - mostly due to a poorly-thought-out tweet from Donald Trump, and the several thousand rebuttals that followed. The President, who was awarded the title last year for being the person who, "for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year", claimed on Twitter that he had taken "a pass" on the opportunity to receive the title again this year. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/934189999045693441]] Unsurprisingly, this was deemed to be a lie, leading Time Magazine - amongst others - to personally call Trump out. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TIME/status/934231984099995649]] Anyway, after all that drama, the date of the announcement has finally rolled around. As it turns out, the person who earned the title is not a person at all, but a group of people. The Hollywood abuse "silence breakers" were the ones to appear on the cover of the 2017 person of the year edition,  followed in second place by Donald Trump, and then Chinese President Xi Jinping in third. In an article about The Silence Breakers, Time explains exactly why the women who came forward about their experiences with abuse had so much influence this year. "This reckoning appears to have sprung up overnight," they say. "But it has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries. Women have had it with bosses and co-workers who not only cross boundaries but don't even seem to know that boundaries exist." It continues: "These silence breakers have started a revolution of refusal, gathering strength by the day, and in the past two months alone, their collective anger has spurred immediate and shocking results: nearly every day, CEOs have been fired, moguls toppled, icons disgraced. In some cases, criminal charges have been brought." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TIME/status/938386081795502080]] The article specifically notes Rose McGowan, Taylor Swift and Ashley Judd as women who had a great deal of influence in making the movement of people standing up against their abusers a reality. It also touches on '#MeToo', the viral hashtag that urged other people - if they felt comfortable enough - to speak out about their experiences and stand in solidarity with other victims. Time also spoke with ordinary folks - people like you and I - who did not have the large platform that celebrities did when coming forward about the horrific ordeals they had been through. And all of them had pretty much the same story. "Nearly all of the people TIME interviewed about their experiences expressed a crushing fear of what would happen to them personally, to their families or to their jobs if they spoke up." This alone demonstrates the sheer gravity of the impact that The Silence Breakers have had; not only did they manage to oust some of the most powerful, abusive men in Hollywood, they also showed the average person that it is possible to bring justice against oppressors, and that there is an endless amount of support for people who have been victims - no matter how long ago the incident took place. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/eugenegu/status/938390330323423232]] According to Time's website, Trump was close to achieving the title for the second year running because "he has changed the presidency. The passing feuds, the wild accusations, the crude and divisive language­—­no other Commander in Chief has broadcast his outbursts in such an unfiltered torrent ... Trump’s candidacy rewrote the rules of politics." The Silence Breakers truly deserved the title, and we can only hope that their influence will chance attitudes forever - not just for 2017.  

Time Magazine just announced their 2017 Person Of The Year, and no, it's not Donald Trump. It's the "Silence Breakers" - all the women who came forward with their stories about being victims of sexual harassment and assault. The cover photograph features a variety of women from the #MeToo movement, including former Uber engineer Suzan Fowler, pseudonymous strawberry picker 'Isabel Pascual,' and pop music superstar Taylor Swift. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TIME/status/938386081795502080]] No matter where you stand on Taylor Swift vs. Kim Kardashian, we all agree on the case of Taylor Swift vs. DJ David Mueller. Swift accused the Denver radio host of grabbing her ass while posing with him for a picture at a 2013 meet-and-greet. Horrified, she told the company about his groping, and he was fired. Mueller denied the allegations and sued Swift for slander, blaming the singer-songwriter for losing his job. Swift responded by counter-suing Mueller for $1, claiming he absolutely did it, and should be punished "to serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts." "Right as the moment came for us to pose for the photo, he took his hand and put it up my dress and grabbed onto my ass cheek," said Swift, in her deposition. "No matter how much I scooted over, it was still there. It was completely intentional, I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Meanwhile, Mueller denied the claim saying, "Our hands touched and our arms crossed. That's all I remember." As part of Time's Person Of The Year issue, the Silence Breaker broke her silence about the sexual assault trial. Before Swift testified against DJ Butt-Grab, Mueller's lawyer cross-examined her loved ones, and the questioning was really intense. ““My mom was so upset after her cross-examination, she was physically too ill to come to court the day I was on the stand. I was angry,” she said. “In that moment, I decided to forego any courtroom formalities and just answer the questions the way it happened.” In other words, "look what you made me do." On August 10, Swift took the stand and delivered a testimony that was so blunt, it went viral. The singer could have minced words, and just said Mueller made "inappropriate contact with her rear end." But why dress up what happened? Instead, Swift used crude language that reflected the crudeness of the incident. "This is a photo of him...with his hand on my ass. I’m critical of your client sticking his hand under my skirt and grabbing my ass. He stayed attached to my bare ass-cheek as I lurched away from him. He had a handful of my ass. I know it was him." ““This man hadn’t considered any formalities when he assaulted me, and his lawyer didn’t hold back on my mom—why should I be polite?” explained Swift to Time. “I’m told it was the most amount of times the word ‘ass’ has ever been said in Colorado Federal Court.” The singer's direct testimony was praised by many as a "milestone," and the following weekend, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network reported a 35% increase in phone calls. RAINN's president called her case “a great demonstration to other victims that there is strength in coming forward and pursuing justice.” The jury sided with Swift, which meant Mueller was ordered by the judge to pay her that symbolic $1. But the most surprising revelation in the Person In The Year interview? Mueller never did it! “To this day he has not paid me that dollar," said Swift. "And I think that act of defiance is symbolic in itself."

The shortlist for Time magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year has caused commotion online.

On Monday (December 4), the magazine announced the nine candidates on the shortlist for the title this year.

As part of the annual tradition, Time selects from famous faces in the entertainment industry to leaders in the political world that have had "most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months".

This means that it isn't required for the individual or individuals to have caused beneficial change but rather left a form of impact this year, according to the publication.

Time’s Person of the Year is the annual title for the person, group, or concept that most shaped the headlines, for good or ill. Credit: Neilson Barnard / Getty

The names of the nine finalists for the publication's annual recognition are Taylor Swift, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, King Charles III, Trump prosecutors, CEO Sam Altman, Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, the movie Barbie, and Hollywood strikers.

To many, it's not a surprise that the 'Karma' songstress was selected this year, as the 33-year-old has been nominated for seven Grammys, embarked on her Eras Tour, and released a concert movie that surpassed $100 million in ticket sales globally one week before the film premiered.

The magazine also shortlisted Greta Gerwig's hugely successful film, Barbie, which gained over $155 million in North American ticket sales during the opening weekend in July.

Furthermore, Time also gave credit to the Hollywood strikers who joined the Writer’s Guild of America and the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG)-AFTRA in their protests for better pay and treatment.

Taylor Swift was nominated for Time magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year. Credit: Gareth Cattermole / Getty

So, while a few of the prospects seemed to use their influence for good, some names on the shortlist sparked major confusion on X (formerly Twitter).

One shocked user questioned: "How in the world are Vladimir Putin, Taylor Swift, Barbie, and Sam Altman remotely comparable contenders for Person of the Year?"

"Okay… who had Barbie competing with Vladimir Putin for Time Person of the Year in their 2023 bats***tery bingo card?", another bewildered person said.

A third user slammed the magazine for "recognizing evil people, privileged people," and remarked that Swift was "unlucky to be listed amongst those undesirables".

A fourth quipped that the Mattel-doll-based flick "has far more humanity" than candidates like the 71-year-old Russian president.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was shortlisted for Time magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year. Credit: WPA Pool / Getty

Meanwhile, some people explained why the publication's shortlist included Putin, penning: "It doesn't mean 'best person who did the best things', it means the person who had the biggest impact on world events that year, for better or for worse."

However, a second user was not pleased with that clarification and said: "Ok, if they insist... how about an honorable mention instead? In micro print somewhere down the bottom of the page instead of stroking his ego on the cover."

Time's 2023 Person of the Year will be announced today (December 6).

Featured image credit: Neilson Barnard / Getty

Over the years, Time has featured dozens of influential figures on their front cover as part of their annual 'Person of the Year' piece. Martin Luther King Jr., Pope Francis and Mark Zuckerberg all made the cut - as did most of the US presidents over the last century. It was not much of a surprise, then, when Donald Trump made the cover last year shortly after he was elected into office. The decision to feature him drew in mixed responses, with some people happy to see their president-elect on one of the most prestigious magazines in the world, and others being slightly disappointed. Now, with Time's announcement of their Person of the Year only weeks away, Trump took to Twitter in order to claim that he received a call from the publication to say that he was "probably" going to receive the title again this year. However, he supposedly turned down the invitation for a photo shoot and interview because he didn't want to waste his time without a guarantee that he definitely would get the title. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/934189999045693441]] At first, there didn't seem to be any solid evidence to dispute Trump's completely unprovoked statement, as there have been people in the past who received the title more than once (Barack Obama, for example), so it was perfectly plausible that Trump could be one such individual. However, the fact that Time has only once given the title to the same person two years in a row, and that the name of the person set to receive the award is never disclosed this early was suspicious. And, coupled with the reality that President Trump has a tendency to run his mouth about things which turn out to be completely unfounded - or even outright false - it appeared that the former reality star might have made the whole thing up. It was hardly a surprise, then, that Time Magazine responded to the tweet, saying that Trump is "incorrect" about the selection process for the winner of the title. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TIME/status/934231984099995649]] And other Twitter users weren't too shocked by the news, either. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TipJar27/status/934232354062602241]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/J_Hurstman/status/934237599996182528]] Richard Stengle, a former editor of the magazine, was a little more direct with his response to Trump's dubious tweet, saying that there's no way Trump is Person of the Year, and that the publication just wanted a photoshoot. The latter half of his shut-down also alludes to a fake Time cover with positive comments about the President that Trump had made up in order to display at his golf clubs. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/stengel/status/934198040906346496]] Others, however, seemed to imply that it was Time who was lying, and that Trump would never make up a story like this. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/newcreations111/status/934281988839821312]] But this is not even the first time Trump has lied specifically about appearing on Time covers. He previously claimed that he held the record for being on the most front covers of the magazine - something that turned out later to be false. Honestly, it's surprising that Trump had even expressed a desire to be on the cover at all, considering the 'devil horn' look he was sneakily given last year. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ChristophHooton/status/806500538347044864]] Even so, Trump has offered no further elaboration on his original tweet, nor has he responded to Time's accusation that he doesn't understand how the selection process for the title works. I guess we'll find out who ends up on the cover next month anyway, so there's not long to wait.

Taylor Swift has added yet another accolade to her already impressive year - Time's 'Person of the Year'.

On Wednesday (December 6), the magazine named Taylor Swift as its 'Person of the Year'.

The title has been awarded every year by the publication since 1926, and recognizes a person, group, or idea that "for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year".

And it should come as no surprise that this year's winner is none other than the 'You Belong With Me' chart-topper.

Swift has had perhaps her most successful year yet - releasing the re-recorded versions of her Speak Now and 1989 albums and kicking off her hugely successful global Eras Tour.

She told Time that she is the "the proudest and happiest [she's] ever felt," while admitting that the physical toll of performing in Eras Tour shows has started to appear.

Taylor Swift is Time's Person of the Year. Credit: Buda Mendes/TAS23 / Getty

"I knew this tour was harder than anything I’d ever done before by a long shot," she said of the tour. "[The fans] had to work really hard to get the tickets. I wanted to play a show that was longer than they ever thought it would be."

But her hard work is paying off, as Forbes has recently named Swift one of 'the world's most powerful women', with the tour leading to her becoming a billionaire!

The Eras Tour is shaping up to be one of the most successful music ventures in history. Credit: Buda Mendes/TAS23 / Getty

Her newly released 1989 (Taylor's Version) album was the fastest-selling in 2023. Taylor will continue her tour in 2024 as she travels across the globe.

Back in February, Swift made history at the Grammys when she won in the category of 'Best Music Video', becoming the first artist to be the sole named director on the winning video. And in November, her nomination for Song of the Year at the 2024 Grammy's meant she's now received more nominations in the category than any other artist.

The 33-year-old singer also made history at this year's Billboard Awards - taking home a total of TEN awards, including Video of the Year and Song of the Year, for her hit track 'Anti-Hero' from her album Midnights.

Taylor Swift swept up 10 awards at the Billboard Music Awards. Credit: Gotham/WireImage/Getty

Last month, Spotify also revealed that Swift was the most-streamed artist of 2023 on its platform - topping many people's yearly 'Wrapped' rankings.

And away from the Music world, her blossoming relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce has brought a newfound interest for many to the sport of American football.

The shortlist for this year's title was certainly... eclectic. The names of the nine finalists for the publication's annual recognition were Taylor Swift, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, King Charles III, Trump prosecutors, CEO Sam Altman, Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, the movie Barbie, and Hollywood strikers.

Featured image credit: Buda Mendes/TAS23 / Getty