In October 2017, following the onslaught of 80 sexual harassment and assault claims made by women against producer Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements were called to the forefront. We’re here to tell you what these movements are and why they’re important:
#MeToo
By October 2017, #MeToo had begun to spread virally on social media in order to highlight the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault, particularly in the workplace.
The phrase, coined by social activist Tarana Burke, was popularised by actress Alyssa Milano who encouraged women to tweet it to ‘give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem’. Since that first explosive tweet, #MeToo has been used online millions of times, often alongside personal stories of sexual assault experiences.
Responses on Twitter have come from people all around the world, from different backgrounds and ethnicities, as well as from high profile celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman and Jennifer Lawrence.
Time’s Up – https://www.timesupnow.com/
In November 2017, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas’s letter of solidarity to the women of Hollywood who were instrumental in exposing the sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein was published in Time magazine. It stated that it was written on behalf of the 700,000 female farmworkers in the US, and described their experiences of assault and harassment.
In response, Time’s Up was announced on January 1st of this year, citing the letter and the movement’s desire to support people of all genders, races and sexualities who have less opportunity and means to speak up about harassment.
At the same time, several initiatives were announced including a $13 million legal defense fund to support lower income women wanting justice for sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore, a movement toward gender parity in studio and talent agencies was introduced as well as a call for women to wear black and speak out about sexual harassment and assault on the red carpet at the 2018 Golden Globes.
Since these initiatives were laid out, celebrities have made other gestures in support of the movement; at The Grammys, musicians including Cardi B, Lady Gaga and Kesha wore white roses or white clothes in solidarity, and singer Lorde wore an excerpt from a work by neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer on the back of her dress.
The Future
There has now been a plethora of actors and singers standing up in support of the movement, along with brave victims of sexual assault who have spoken out about their experiences of sexual harassment and assault in both Hollywood and the workplace in general.
Whereas before many have been afraid to come forward with their stories, now the fear of oppression and being overlooked has been quashed; it is now an act of bravery rather than an act of shame to speak out. Though sexual assault and harassment have not yet been eradicated, the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements are a promising start in teaching society to talk about and change important issues such as these so that we can move forward to a better and more equal future for everyone.
The Important Bit – How to report sexual assault?
- Call 999 – to report immediate danger
- Call the local police or security on campus
- Contact a rape and sexual abuse helpline like those found in the link below
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