Rose McGowan wrote the book on being brave, literally. 

As one of the first voices to spark the #MeToo movement, McGowan stood up and spoke out against a power that previously had been impenetrable. She is now among the incredibly strong women responsible for toppling Harvey Weinstein, but more than that, reshaping the misogyny buried deep in the treatment of victims of sexual assault.  It’s something that she continues to speak openly about and to push forward as an actor, director and activist. 

And it’s this progress that McGowan is focusing on now. 

“I think we’ve made a big dent in 2018, and I see us going farther, I see us being stronger, and knowing now that we can be heard and we can be listened to and we don’t have to be afraid,” McGowan says when we ask her what the next year will bring. 

And if there’s one person who can lead the charge in making 2019 the most impactful yet for women’s rights, it’s her. We asked McGowan to tell us three ways in which she believes we can build on 2018’s progress, and this is what she had to say.

Be unapologetic

“Women apologise for just existing: ‘Oh I’m so sorry for taking up space on this planet.’

“And we need to realise that you, and I, have a right to be here and have a right to not say sorry after everything we say, after having an opinion.”

Listening to victims more

“I don’t think we listen to victims enough but I think we’re getting a lot better at it. We’re starting to not doubt people off the bat - ‘you wore a short skirt, you deserved it’ kind of mentality. 

“I would suggest we can support people better by not immediately making them feel like it’s in their heads. By knowing it’s so hard just to speak up in the first place. And just listening, it means the world when people hear you.”

Learning to be fearless

“I know you know your strengths and you know where you want to go. So let’s just go there, let just do it. Let’s make 2019 the year that we’re brave. The year that we’re better. The year that we’re free.”