Fourteen years ago activist Tarana Bourke created a global conversation supporting the mental and physical health of young minority women who faced – and are still facing, sexual harassment and abuse. Her movement labeled the ‘#MeToo’ movement has grown beyond women of color and has become a central force in the modern-day feminist movement. She began the movement after a young girl explained the horrors of her abuse and Bourke was unable to “bring herself to whisper…me too” (metoomvmt.org). The dominance of male superiors has silenced women for decades in fear of what they may impose. By providing the proper resources in schools, jobs, and healthcare systems women would be able to have the outlets that movements such as the #MeToo movement have provided.
Violence, discrimination, and sexual harassment against women have plagued societal institutions for decades and have resulted in shortcomings on the success of women and girls globally. Whether it be flagrant or subconsciously, women are the victims of constant harassment, abuse, and discrimination. Women handle and go through each experience differently, even though every woman understands the fight. For some, it may be an uncomfortable moment at work, for others years of abuse, but in all cases, a woman becomes affected. By opening a global discussion women have been able to speak their truth’s through movements such as the #MeToo movement, which exploits specific people and companies and in almost all cases, incites change. Women often do not have the platform or support to speak up against sexual assault and harassment. Resources, mentors, and ally ships must continue the movement’s good start to give others the voice to say, “Me too.”
Matt Lauer. Harvey Weinstein. State Representatives. Attorney Generals. These are some of the few hundreds of men exploited by the movement. In one of the most controversial exposé’s to date, Harvey Weinstein’s ousting gained the movement’s traction and labeled it a household name in the private practice and political scene. Its influence has renewed the Equal Rights Amendment — an act passed by Congress in 1972. This act pushes for legal equality based on sex and is the first of its kind that is inclusive of men, women, and transgenders. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg highlighted the way that “Every constitution written since the end of World War II includes a provision that men and women are citizens of equal stature,” but “[America] does not” (Roepe).
Although it may be hard to envision someone against the movement, #MeToo has a network of people and institutions who have spoken out against it. In the modern century, the push for diversity has swept every industry by storm. Companies have tried their best to ensure that they are not under the old umbrella of being all white and male. Many believe that those under-qualified have been jobs to fill the push for forced diversity. Their counter-argument is that the basis of the man or woman who receives the available job should be on qualifications, not simply handed to the woman because they must reach a diversity quota. Also, many companies have begun to create positions for racial diversity and female inclusion. Owing to the risk of exploitation and succumbing to “cancel culture”, those against the movement feel as though men are no longer able to voice their opinion if they disagree with a female peer or colleague. Another stance against the movement is that it may produce more discrimination. Those in fear of their ability to contain their sexism have cited that they are less likely to hire a woman. In a 2019 study from Harvard, 19% of men said that they were less likely to hire a woman they viewed as attractive, 21% were less likely to hire women in close contact jobs and 27% avoided a one on one meeting with a woman (hbr.gov). This backlash is a sad move in the wrong direction as it is the exact opposite of the goal of the movement.
In a male-dominated society, women have undergone centuries of oppression and discrimination at home, school, and the workplace. In America, women have earned many of their rights at slower rates than men and in many foreign countries, women still lack basic human rights. This behavior has carried on for too long and women globally have begun the start to an end to this horrific crime against humanity.
Works Cited
Bower, Tim. “The #MeToo Backlash.” Harvard Business Review, 27 Aug. 2019, hbr.org/2019/09/the-metoo-backlash.
O’Malley, Sharon. “Workplace Sexual Harassment.” CQ Researcher, 27 Oct. 2017, pp. 893-917, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2017102700.
Roepe, Lisa Rabasca. “The Equal Rights Amendment.” CQ Researcher, 3 Apr. 2020, pp. 1-56, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2020040300.
Williams, Jamillah Bowman; Singh, Lisa; and Mezey, Naomi (2019) “#MeToo as Catalyst: A Glimpse into 21st Century Activism,” University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 2019 , Article 22.
Available at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol2019/iss1/22
This is a really important topic to explore – and I actually never knew that origin story of the Me Too movement, so that was interesting to read.
I think this feeling you talk about at the end, of men not feeling able to voice their opinions, and not feeling comfortable meeting one-on-one with women, etc, is a really interesting point. I don’t think it necessarily speaks to a backlash regarding #MeToo – by which I mean, I don’t think the people “against” me too are against the central issues of it, like sexual harassment at work. Rather, I think it speaks more to the extremism and polarization that social media can lead to in this day and age. When something is posted on social media, sometimes it can take on such a huge new life and become overwhelming, and people are quick to jump on bandwagons and “cancel” each other, and appear “woke”. Social media encourages a very reactionary and inflammatory attitude, which I think is the real issue at hand. Unfortunately, it seems to spill over into deeper issues and make people feel uncomfortable doing things that really should not be a problem.
Wow, you killed this post! It was passionate, but objective. You addressed multiple perspectives on the issue and included relevant background on certain events and people. I especially liked your conclusion, it was a very powerful way to end the post. Personally, I feel like you did the movement justice in your description and explanation! Great job! 🙂
I think you addressed the topic with the tone that it requires, because this is such a serious issue that has plagued so many women throughout history, especially in recent years when this movement became prevalent. We are helping disarm the issue by us talking about it and raising awareness that as a society we will not tolerate such behavior, and anyone that commits such crimes against another human being will face repercussions. I think this is such an important topic and I’m so glad you chose to write about it.