I know the name Harvey Weinstein has been in a lot of headlines recently. Over the last few months, the internet has become a sea of accusations and confessions. I am not saying this is a bad thing. The fact that women are finally being heard is something to rejoice in. It is just difficult to feel happy when you realize how long it took. When you realize how many women had to step forward in order to be considered credible. When you realize how a hashtag could expose so many stories of unfair treatment and pain. Salma Hayek is one of the newest actors to step forward and address the Weinstein scandal.

A few months ago I watched the trailer for one of Hayek's latest films, Beatriz at Dinner. I was immediately intrigued and waited in anticipation for its release. When I went to see it in theatres I wasn't disappointed. I thought it was a fantastic film. It may have been the reason I stopped scrolling on my Facebook timeline to read an article about Hayek. I admired her work and wanted to hear about more.

My heart sank when I read the caption.

"Harvey Weinstein Is My Monster Too."

Harvey Weinstein- there was that name again. The name named by so many women in the last few months. "Oh." I thought, "Just another Weinstein article." I was immediately shocked by my insensitivity. How could I have thought that? It wasn't his story. It belonged to her.

Sexual assault or harassment can follow you- it doesn't have to, but it can eat away at you if you let it. It can seem like something you have been forced to carry. And so, it is yours to share or to keep private for as long as you carry it.

I clicked the link.

Read this article. Please, read this article. So many entertainment magazines and tabloids have reported on Weinstein's alleged assaults. We have all accepted that Weinstein was and is a monster, and this is what has allowed us to normalize these articles and headlines. However, this is written by someone who experienced trauma first hand- a direct from the source account of her experiences as a woman of color in the entertainment industry.

Salma Hayek takes readers through her experiences chronologically. This is not a tell-all interview. She is not interrupted by questions or edited together. Instead, it reads almost like a journal entry: personal, honest and heartbreaking. In many ways, the article is about acceptance. Wanting to be accepted in an industry that limits women of color. Wanting to be accepted and respected by your peers and partners. Or, the fact that in order to cope with the pain caused by harassment, many women excuse it or accept it as an inevitability.

Hayek explains that what might appear to be affection, can quickly become harassment. She helps readers to better understand that requests made by those with power are often more accurately demands. Additionally, as many of her peers have already stated, the word "no" is often not enough to defend one's self against predators. It goes into the details of how she struggled against Weinstein in order to produce a film based on the life of her longtime hero, Frida Kahlo. Obviously, she succeeded. The film Frida would go on to be nominated for six Academy Awards.

I won't say anything else about the article. As I said before, read it.

Hayek has created a well written, eye-opening, powerful article. Once you have read this, listen to the story of others who have experienced similar trauma. As more and more cases unfold, it can be easy to lump them all together. This is something that needs to end. You can't dwell on every case, but it is important to stop now and again and hear these stories in full.

It is only through this practice that people can begin to understand the patterns and psychology of abuse employed by predators. It is the only way that you can move away from superficial sympathy, and develop true empathy for the survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault. So please, acknowledge these stories, reflect on the experiences of these women, and be thankful that they are finally being given a platform. We can only hope that through this practice that the weight victims carry can become a little less heavy.