Here's What You Need To Know About The #MeToo Movement
Here's What You Need To Know About The #MeToo Movement
The #MeToo movement has caught fire these past few weeks. Here's a summary of the primary events.
The #MeToo movement has caught fire these past few weeks. Here's a summary of the primary events.
Earlier this month, the New York Times published an investigatory piece alleging the Hollywood executive, Harvey Weinsten, of sexual harassment and assault.
Since then, women across the entertainment industry have shared their frightening encounters with Weinstein.
With this began a number of social media movements, one being the #MeToo campaign. According to The Washington Post this movement was sparked by actress and activist, Alyssa Milano, with this tweet.
In the following weeks, hundreds of thousands of women have posted the powerful words 'Me Too' on Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, even more women have shared posts and stories about their tragic experiences.
The fallout from the Weinstein scandal is reverberating not only among Hollywood actresses, but in countless other industries as women now feel empowered to tell their stories for the first time.
However, the #MeToo movement is only just reemerging, as it was originally coined by Tarana Burke in '07 to encourage a conversation between survivors.
I think Me Too is for everybody and sexual violence is a spectrum. Sexual violence knows no race, or class, or gender. But the response to sexual violence does. And Me Too is about the response to sexual violence [...] and the journey toward healing.
Tarana Burke
The Root
With any kind of movement, backlash and problems have arisen as people point out that the larger problem persists.
The larger problem being that every woman is affected by patriarchal sexual oppression. As Megan Nola states in her editorial piece for The Vice "The problem, really, with all of it is how violently present the victim is forced to be in the narrative, and how utterly passive the perpetrator." Read the whole article here.
Whatever your thoughts may be, there is no denying that the #MeToo movement is a step - whether it be big or small - toward justice for victims of sexual harassment and assault.
If you are a victim of sexual assault you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.