The arm represents the anonymous victims.
— Ramin Talaie (@RaminTalaie) December 6, 2017
The fact that a woman honored on @TIME's POY cover didn't feel safe revealing her identity perfectly encapsulates why "the silence breakers" are so influential — and how far the #MeToo movement still has to go pic.twitter.com/YTgeUaHJWI
— Lauren Holter (@laurenholter) December 6, 2017
Me: “Mom, Mom! I’m going to be on the cover of TIME Magazine!”
Mom: “No way! Really??”
Me: “Yeah! I can’t wait till it comes out!”
Also me: pic.twitter.com/dRrj1IThNv
— ?Tweet Tweet? (@TristanOdenkirk) December 6, 2017
The Internet appreciated the symbolism:
My absolute favorite part of this @TIME cover is the unnamed elbow in the lower corner. She's everyone else. That's our arm.
We all made the cover.#silencebreakers pic.twitter.com/wXDa41skka— 1ChanceFancy (@1ChanceFancy) December 6, 2017
Love how that elbow in the lower right corner speaks to those that still need to stay anonymous. #TIMEPOY @TIME #MeToo pic.twitter.com/RBPhiYlDqj
— Jill Becker, MD (@DrJillBecker) December 6, 2017
Felsenthal explained the photo crop on NBC’s Today show: “The image you see partially on the cover is of a woman we talked to, a hospital worker in the middle of the country, who doesn’t feel like she can come forward without threatening her livelihood.”
WATCH: “The image you see partially on the cover is of a woman we talked to… who doesn’t feel that she can come forward without threatening her livelihood.” @TIME EIC @efelsenthal talks #TIMEPOY cover pic.twitter.com/q3bPbKNPbg
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 6, 2017
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), approximately two out of every three sexual assaults go unreported. There are a number of reasons why people decide not to report — from fear of testifying or concerns their attacker might retaliate — all valid concerns considering that out of every 1,000 rapes only six perpetrators will go to jail.