The #MeToo movement started when countless of allegations against Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein, surfaced online. Minutes later, a flood of personal stories from women in all industries across the world appeared on the internet with the hashtag #MeToo, becoming a rallying cry against sexual assault and harassment. According to The Guardian, the movement began on social media after a call of action by the actress, Alyssa Milano, one of Weinstein’s most vocal critics, who wrote: “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 days, millions of people worldwide took to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to discuss the harassment and abuse they have faced in their own lives. Not only have celebrities spoke out, ordinary people as well, who felt empowered to finally speak. This hashtag has gone around the world and has been used more than “1 million times in the US, Europe, and the Middle East and beyond. The French used #balancetonporc, the Spanish #YoTambien, and in Arab countries the hashtags وأنا_كمان# and وانا_ايضا# were predominant.”
“It is about so much more than Harvey Weinstein,” said Caroline Criado-Perez, co-founder of The Women’s Room and the feminist campaigner who forced the Bank of England to have female representation on banknotes. “That’s what #MeToo represents, it’s happened to pretty much every woman you know. I think it’s really important that we don’t allow this to become a story about this one bad guy who did these terrible things because he’s a monster, and to make it clear that actually, it’s not just monsters… it happens in every country every day to all women, and it’s done by friends, colleagues, ‘good guys’ who care about the environment and children and even feminism, supposedly.”
Many celebrities have been following and participating in the movement and are sharing their own experiences with sexual assault.
Lady Gaga has spoken out about her experiences as a rape survivor before, including co-writing and recording the song “Til It Happens to You” about her ordeal as stated in Vogue.
Comedian and political satirist Barry Crimmins joined in with his experiences too, adding his voice as a male assault survivor.
Evan Rachel Wood wrote candidly about how her image as a “party girl” made her feel like she “deserved” her experience.
The #MeToo Twitter campaign was at least the second of its kind since decades of sexual abuse allegations emerged against film producer Harvey Weinstein. As claimed by The Washington Post, on Oct. 5, the day the New York Times exposé revealed that claim against Weinstein, thousands of people took to Twitter to share their own encounters with sexual harassment in the workplace, using the hashtag #MyHarveyWeinstein. Just over a year ago, a similar response, under the hashtag #NotOkay, followed a leaked 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which Donald Trump boasted about kissing and groping women. “Each time this has happened, predatory behavior once held in secrecy, and still tolerated in many settings, has become a little more public. Victims who may have suffered in silence seem to feel liberated, knowing they’re not alone.”
Even though the tweets are seen as empowering to most, there are still some people who think the opposite. People need to be aware of this issue because this happens all the time and there should be an open line of communication to help victims. We need to do all we can to raise awareness and teach perpetrators that power does not let them get away with anything. Let’s bring our voices together and make #MeToo a hashtag used every day, not just a one-time thing.