Me too.
On Oct. 17, 2017 Alyssa Milano tweeted something that would rapidly escalate to a large-scale social media campaign, larger than anyone could even imagine. Milano’s tweet stated:
“Me too. Suggested by a friend: 'If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.' If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted, write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet.”
Within hours the tweet blew up, with people either replying with “Me too” or sharing their own personal accounts of sexual harassment or assault. Soon enough, #MeToo was trending and a social media campaign began.
#MeToo came as a response to the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal; The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that over a dozen women came forward and accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting, harassing or raping them. Since then, Weinstein has been expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, fired from his company, and denounced publicly by political leaders and members of the film world.
The social media campaign gave awareness to how common sexual assault, harassment and rape is in the world. Many people think it just happens to people far away from them, when in reality sexual assault happens everywhere, all the time.
People of all genders and all identities have used #MeToo as a platform to share their stories and accounts of sexual assault. With such an out-pour of responses, things can seem overwhelming to take into account. There have been over 65,000 responses to the tweet alone, and on other forms of social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) people have also chosen to share their stories.
I believe the #MeToo campaign has its definite benefits, but also unforeseen disadvantages. People now have easy access to see how widespread sexual assault, harassment, and rape is. I give my utmost respect to everyone who has participated, and those who have experienced unwanted sexual conduct but don’t feel comfortable sharing their stories or making their experience public. The community response to the survivors who have shared their experiences is overwhelmingly empathetic and full of love. No one should have to ever experience unwanted sexual conduct, whether it’s assault, harassment, or rape, and its effects can last a lifetime.
This leads me to what I believe is the large downfall of the campaign. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable sharing their story, or if it just recently happened, this campaign can easily trigger someone back to their traumatic experience. Seeing all of the accounts can force someone to remember their own, whether they want to or not. With as widespread as the campaign is, it can be difficult to stay out of the loop and not see “Me too” somewhere.
As a whole, the #MeToo campaign has brought to light the extent to which sexual assault, harassment, and rape occurs. No one could have anticipated it to grow to the rate that it did, or with such a huge response from the population. It’s a call to action for people to be held accountable for what they did, regardless of their status within a business, or if they’re a student, or if they’re a family member, or if they’re anyone at all.
Give support to those who have shared their stories. Give support to those who have confided with you.
Me too.
Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-448-4663
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
United Way Crisis Helpline: 1-800-233-HELP
