3 People Who Should Be Time’s Person of the Year for 2017

Donald Trump made waves this weekend when he tweeted that Time had approached him to be Person of the Year for the second year in a row. Time quickly corrected the President, stating: “The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6.”

Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017

The Internet had a field day with the tweets, with jokes and memes filling up everyone’s timelines within minutes. Trump’s ridiculous lie also sparked a debate about who SHOULD be given the prestigious title.

To help Time with their decision, we’ve put together a list of the top 3 people we think are deserving of the title of Person of the Year:

#3: Taylor Swift

The polarizing popstar’s influence in the past year cannot be denied, dominating both the music charts and the cultural zeitgeist as a whole for the last few months of 2017. In September, she debuted a dark new persona with the release of “Look What You Made Me Do”, the lead single off her 6th studio album, boldly proclaiming that the “Old Taylor” was dead. The song, and its accompanying music video, clearly referenced Swift’s infamous feuds with Kanye West and Katy Perry, and got the whole world talking. Her album, Reputation, then went on to the become the top-selling album of 2017, according to Billboard, and reached sales numbers that are unprecedented in the music industry’s current climate. Love her or hate her, the new Taylor definitely owned 2017.

#2: Colin Kaepernick

Football player Colin Kaepernick became a pillar in the Black Lives Matter movement following his poignant statement in the 2016 NFL season, when he took a knee during the national anthem. In 2017, despite being the subject of controversy and great resistance (notably from the President of the United States), Kaepernick started a movement that shifted the cultural conversation in the world of sports. Sacrificing his NFL career, the athlete’s silent protest turned him into a symbol of resistance and inspired people everywhere to take a knee against racial inequality and police brutality.

If peaceful protests did nothing, the powerful wouldn't try so hard to silence them. #TakeAKnee pic.twitter.com/0aONI66gJF

— NYCLU (@NYCLU) September 23, 2017

#1: All the women who came forward with their experiences of sexual assault

2017 will go down in history as the year of #MeToo, when women decided that enough was enough, bravely sharing their stories of sexual assault. It all started with allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein, then quickly escalated with women from all sectors coming forward. Shortly after, the hashtag #MeToo was born and became a trending topic across numerous social media platforms, demonstrating just how prevalent the issue is. The hashtag turned into a cultural movement that defined the year and, hopefully, marked a turning point in the industry, and the culture as a whole.

Who do you think should be Person of the Year? Let us know in the comments!