Background
While the the beginning of the #MeToo Movement is often associated with Alyssa Milano, who shared her story about Harvey Weinstein via Twitter, Tarana Burke was actually the woman who claimed the name in 2006. Even though the hashtag and movement were originally created to bring survivors together and show solidarity and support for one another, it has expanded to call sexual harassers out and make change (Jaffe, 2018).
What does 'me too' mean?
The term, Me Too, is used for any survivor of sexual assault or harassment to tell their story and show others that that they are not alone. This phrase has gained a lot of magnitude as more and more people came forward, showing just how common it is and that it can happen to anyone.
“This movement has grown to include both men and women of all colors and ages, and supports marginalized people in marginalized communities”. - Tarana Burke
Celebrities who came forward after Milano
“I think the Floodgates have opened for white women. I don’t think it’s a coincidence whose pain has been taken seriously. Whose pain we have shown and continue to show. Whose pain is tolerable and whose pain is intolerable. And whose pain needs to be addressed now.” - Gabrielle Union (Armstrong & Gonzalez, 2019)
“[I feel] true disgust at the director who assaulted me when I was 16 years old and anger at the agents and the producers who made me feel that silence was a condition of my employment.” - Reese Whitherspoon (Armstrong & Gonzalez, 2019)
Terry Crews now uses his status to speak out against sexual assault and advocate for victims (Armstrong & Gonzalez, 2019).
Going Global
By November, 2017 there were 2.3M #MeToo tweets from 85 countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
On Facebook, over 24 million people participated in conversations regarding #MeToo. Users interacted by posting, reacting, and commenting over 77 million times.
(Fox & Diem, 2017)
Hashtag Feminism
Hashtag Feminism is popularly used to create virtual communities. Through these communities, users can easily find one another, gain more information on a subject, and learn from one another while also being supportive. The #MeToo hashtag does just that for both survivors and allies (Mendes, 2018).
"Solidarity Often Transforms Into a Feminist Consciousness Amongst Hashtag Participants" (Mendes, 2018).
Not Exclusive to Women
While we mostly hear about women's stories, anyone can face sexual harassment and the movement is inclusive of all survivors and allies. The Me Too Movement stands against any harasser, which includes anyone, regardless of gender or sexuality, who uses their power to prey on others and make sexual advancements (Bhattacharyya, 2018).
#How I Will Change
In response to the #MeToo movement, men were able to reflect on their role in rape culture and created the #HowIWillChange hashtag. Within this hashtag, men are able to have open discussions, educate one another, and hold each other accountable. Despite it being meant to show alliance with survivors, there are still men who come to the hashtag to stand against the movement and make statements such as 'not all men' (PettyJohn, Muzzey, Maas, & McCauley, 2019).
Criticism: Men are under attack
Within the workplace, men are often claiming women are taking anything as sexual harassment, they can not take a joke, or that they are under attack.
Through surveys, we can see men do know what constitutes as sexual assault.
#HimToo emerged in retaliation against #MeToo to dispute any false allegations of sexual assault for men.
“The idea that men don’t know their behavior is bad and that women are making a mountain out of a molehill is largely untrue. If anything, women are more lenient in defining harassment.” (Bower, 2020)
Change Taking Place
Many companies are now putting more comprehensive policies in place to protect workers who come forward and report cases of sexual assault (Kottasová, 2019).
States within the United States are now banning nondisclosure agreements that cover up sexual assault (North, 2019).
Congress has reformed their process when it comes to reporting sexual assault among staff (North, 2019).
Time's Up
Time's Up is an organization that was created by women in Hollywood who were inspired by the #MeToo Movement and are now fighting against sexual harassment.
As of 2019, they have raised over $24 million and connected 3,677 people with attorneys to pursue possible legal action.
(North, 2019)
"Americans are thinking more than ever about power: who has it, who doesn’t, and how those with more power are trying to control those with less" (North, 2019).
A Future of Change
Sources
Admin, Camaya, H., & Siggers, R. (2018, July 31). What is Me Too Movement After All? Talking Nibs. https://www.talkingnibs.com/what-is-me-too-movement-after-all/.
Armstrong, K., & Gonzalez, T. (2019, November 24). Celebrities Who Have Joined the #MeToo Movement (So Far). Brit + Co. https://www.brit.co/celebrities-me-too/.
Bhattacharyya, R. (2018). # metoo movement: An awareness campaign. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 3(4).
Bower, T. (2020, November 30). The #MeToo Backlash. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/09/the-metoo-backlash.
Fox, K., & Diem, J. (2017). #MeToo's global moment: the anatomy of a viral campaign. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/09/world/metoo-hashtag-global-movement/index.html.
Jaffe, S. (2018). The collective power of# MeToo. Dissent, 65(2), 80-87
Kottasová, I. (2019, December 29). While the #MeToo backlash raged on in 2019, the movement notched up big gains. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/24/world/metoo-movement-gains-2019-intl/index.html.
Mendes, K., Ringrose, J., & Keller, J. (2018). # MeToo and the promise and pitfalls of challenging rape culture through digital feminist activism. European Journal of Women's Studies, 25(2), 236-246.
North, A. (2019, October 4). 7 positive changes that have come from the #MeToo movement. Vox. https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/4/20852639/me-too-movement-sexual-harassment-law-2019.