#MeToo: Thousands of People Are Sharing Their Stories of Abuse or Harassment
On Sunday, Alyssa Milano tweeted a suggestion that people who’ve been sexually assaulted or harassed share their stories with the hash tag #MeToo, to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem. The response in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein story has been overwhelming. Thousands of people on Twitter and Facebook shared their stories, while some simple posted “#MeToo” in a show of solidarity.
If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017
Many people were shocked by the number of women who’ve come forward with their stories about Weinstein. #MeToo shows how deep and insidious the problem really is.
https://twitter.com/quinncy/status/919696901972180992
It was still a taboo subject when I spoke up 6 years ago. So glad that so many women feel able to say #MeToo today.
— Sarah Monahan (@TheSarahMonahan) October 16, 2017
Some men will never know what it’s like to walk down the street, be catcalled, fear for their safety or the sanctity of their space. #metoo
— Katie Stevens (@thekatiestevens) October 16, 2017
I personally don’t know any women who haven’t experienced harassment or sexual assault or abuse in their lifetime. I was blown away by the responses, but not surprised by the numbers. As of Monday morning, there were hundreds of thousands of tweets.
if you see some women not posting #metoo chances are they’ve still been harassed but feel silenced by a society that tends to punish the woman who was harassed and not the man who harassed her
— Alex (@anack) October 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/adovadotchka/status/919939416541614083
Other people also used the hashtag to show support to those who were sharing their stories.
I am in awe of the courage of all the women sharing their stories. #MeToo
Men, time for us to huddle up, and get real with each other.
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) October 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/ChristianLN0821/status/919940341343559681
Fathers, teach your sons. So new generations of women don’t have to say #MeToo
— Liam O'Brien (@VoiceOfOBrien) October 16, 2017
There are stories of rape, child abuse, sexual assault. Women sharing their experiences with being harassed in the workplace or catcalled walking down the street, groped in public and then laughed at when they spoke up. People sharing that they’ve been afraid to come forward, for fear of retribution or worse. Thousands and thousands and thousands of stories.
#MeToo
As recently as last week when a guy cat called me in the mall when I was with my kid and then got angry cuz I wouldn't talk to him— Jewel Staite (@JewelStaite) October 16, 2017
Men,
Don't say you have a mother, a sister, a daughter…
Say you have a father, a brother, a son who can do better.
We all can.#MeToo
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) October 16, 2017
The focus has been on Harvey Weinstein for the last week, but #MeToo highlights how big of a problem this really is. It’s not just celebrities, it’s not other women. It’s everyone and all of us.
By and large, harassment and assault goes unreported. Or worse, it gets ignored or shrugged off. We’ve all heard that “boys will be boys” or “locker room talk” is totally fine. Meanwhile, women are staying silent for fear of being blamed for their own assaults. The stories being shared all over social media are just the tip of the iceberg, too. At this point, the floodgates have been opened. May the flood flush this horror out in the open, once and for all.
Also read:
- Twitter Suspends Rose McGowan’s Account After Her Allegations Against Weinstein and A-List Stars
- These Are the People Who Have Accused Harvey Weinstein of Sexual Assault and Harassment
(Image: iStock / Rawpixel; Twitter/@Alyssa_Milano)
