GRSJ224/metoo

MeToo Movement

MeToo Movement

On October 27 2017, the MeToo movement spread virally throughout the world with the simple use of a hashtag “#metoo” through social media platforms. The MeToo movement is designed to empower women who are have been victims of sexual assault/violence from perpetrators, and to ensure them that they are not alone. Additionally, this movement is giving women a safe place to speak about their individual experiences The viral spread of this hashtag that created numerous women’s movement was the result of continuous accusations against Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault on many women .

Powerful Hollywood Women

Alyssa Milano

The MeToo movement spread virally overnight as a result of a famous actress Alyssa Milano tweeting “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” Within 24 hours of posting this tweet, it had been used 825,000 times on twitter alone. Initially Milano tweeted this statement to encourage victims to respond to allow others to know they are not alone, however she had no idea of the amount of change she was about to make from two very powerful words. Milano’s motivation behind this was to shift the spotlight from the abuser, who at the time was Weinstein - who’s allegations motivated her to take a stand, to the survivor and to shed light and bring into the public eye that this is an issue that will not go away without it being acknowledged . However, Milano isn’t the only woman who has taken a stand. On January 7 2018 at the Golden Globe’s Award show, stars were wearing black on the red carpet to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual assault . Such stars included Margot Robbie, Many Moore, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie and many more. . Not only were female actresses standing in solidarity against sexual assault on women, but male actors wore all black as well to show their support to all women and to let the world know that this problem is not okay. . Such actors included Zac Efron, James Franco, Chris Hemsworth, Kit Harrington and many more. .

Where MeToo Started

File:Tarana.jpg

Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke founded the “MeToo” movement in 2006 because she is a victim of sexual assault and did not want other women to feel alone. She founded this movement to empower young women of color who have been sexual abused . At the time of her sexual assault, she felt she couldn’t reach out to anyone because no one had gone through the same experience she did and all she wanted someone to say to her was me too . Burke describes a situation that occurred when she was working at a camp, a young girl came up to her and confided in her that she was sexually assaulted and instead of Burke responding with empathy and warmth, she turned her away and sent her to someone else because she wasn’t ready to speak about it. She deeply regrets not saying to the young girl “MeToo” and therefore, she founded the movement to help survivors. Similarly to Milano, Burke’s mission was to move the attention away from the perpetrators and focus that attention on supporting survivors.

Time's Up

Kerry Washington, leading actress on 'Scandal', is one of the powerful women in Hollywood who is a participant in the movement Time's Up.

A large number of powerful women in Hollywood felt inspired by the MeToo movement that many celebrities created their own movement called Time’s up. This movement was formed to support working class women in a male dominant workplace world. Time’s up includes some celebrities such as Kerry Washington, Shonda Rimes, Reece Witherspoon and many more. Women in this movement came together because they intended to act against the violence and stand as a support system for victims. This movement is run by volunteers and working groups of society and was formed shortly after the multiple allegations towards Harvey Weinstein. In Autumn of 2017, 700 000 female farmers wrote to say they stand together with the entertainment world in solidarity, it was this solidarity between women from all industries and all areas of life that inspired Time’s up.

Impact on Society

Before the viral spread of the MeToo movement, less than 10 percent of all sexual reports were recorded, women were not believed and their perpetrators would go unaccountable, and women who disclosed sexual violence were labelled as “delusional, vengeful, exploitive, or an attention-seeker” . This movement transformed our society overnight. Within 24 hours of the commencement of the MeToo movement, two conservative provincial leaders of Canada had their careers ended and their reputations destroyed. Women all over the world are now asserting their power after this wave of sexual harassment allegations and are fighting back and standing up for their rights.

Marginalized Voices

Although the MeToo movement received its most attention when it went viral after a tweet was made from Milano, Burke’s mission when she created the movement ten years ago wasn’t to start the movement for powerful white women but instead for those who have been marginalized. Initially, after witnessing a black server experience sexual harassment, she aimed to connect with black and brown girls in the program as these races were facing marginalization.

Summary

It is evident that the MeToo movement has joined women globally in the fight to end sexual violence and assault. With the help of Milano’s social platform, she was able to virally spread the movement Burke created years ago to form a support system for women and to ensure them that they are not alone. With this, it is essential that this movement continues its intersectionality by including women of color, disabilities, differences in gender, differences in religion and ethnicity to empower women of all walks of life that together, they can win the battle.