Although prevalent now, the Harvey Weinstein case isn’t the first of its kind, and neither is the #MeToo movement. Plenty of past sexual assault incidents sparked similar movements that amounted to little change. Women fighting for women’s rights will never be enough until men are involved in discussions on abuse of power and sexual assault.
In 2014, Kesha accused her producer, Dr. Luke, of sexual assault and gender violence. This started the “Free Kesha” movement in which her fans and supporters protested and created a fund to buy Kesha out of her contract. In 2016, the Washington Post released an Access Hollywood tape of President Donald Trump bragging about kissing and touching women. In response, Canadian writer Kelly Oxford began the hashtag #NotOkay to encourage women to share their experiences of harassment.
Women have raised their hands and shared their stories before, but sadly, this didn’t bring about any real change. As Emma Watson suggested in her HeForShe campaign, involving men is vital if we wish to achieve gender equality.
#MeToo has sparked #IHave and #ItWasMe, which allow men to admit being complicit in or guilty of sexual assault. #IWill also encourages men to pledge future awareness and action in support of gender equality. These hashtags encourage men to listen to the voices of woman resisting sexual assault. It allows them to reflect on their behaviour and change their actions. This means respecting women in the workplace, seeking enthusiastic consent, calling out abusers and accepting discomfort when engaging in conversations about harassment. As key players in the culture of sexual violence, men have immense power to foster one of respect by standing against structural injustices that tolerate abuse. Thus, although #MeToo is a pivotal movement in empowering women, it is only the beginning of change.
The hashtag #MeToo has been used over a million times in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. It has empowered women worldwide to share their sexual harassment stories, as it creates a platform for them to do so. #MeToo represents much more than allegations against one Hollywood producer; it represents the wider scope of structural injustices that allow sexual assault.
The campaign represents the fight against those who abuse their positions of power and helps to combat global systematic gender inequalities. #MeToo is about courage, solidarity, and the power of empathy trumping shame. #MeToo has overwhelming potential to intimate change.