Sexual harassment is far from being a new issue. Both men and women have been facing different forms of sexual abuse and harassment for decades, yet it has been very present in the media the past year due to different movements such as the #MeToo Movement.
An ABC News- Washington poll exemplified the horrifying statistics of “Unwanted Sexual Advances.”
–54% of overall women faced unwanted sexual advances
–30% faced these advances at work
–23% faced advances from “someone who had influence over their work situation”
The article went on to explain how roughly “33 million U.S women” were sexually harassed and “14 million sexually abused.” Do these numbers make you cringe? They make me feel horrified at the idea of so many women going through the struggle of being sexual harassed at their workplace, yet not being able to always report it. This is why the metoo. movement was founded.
In 2006 Tarana Burke started the me too. movement to bring reassurance to survivors that they were not alone in the sexual abuse they faced. Despite the fact the phrase “Me Too” was founded over a decade ago, Taylor Swift’s testimony against her sexual harasser is what sparked a fire inside women that could no longer be contained. They had enough with staying silent about their abuse and decided to speak out. On October 15th, 2017, actress Alyssa Milano did just that when she tweeted “If you’ve ever been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” According to Time’s Magazine, Milano “woke up the next day to find that more than 30,000 people had used the #MeToo. Milano burst into tears.” It is beautiful to see women, and men, standing in solidarity with one another. This was the first step in conquering sexual harassment.
The perception of sexual harassment changed in October after the New York Times wrote an article on all of the accusations of sexual harassment from employees and actresses against Harvey Weinstein, a film producer. These actresses included Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, and 80 other women (you can read about their experiences with Weistein here.) People were no longer able to ignore how serious sexual harassment was.
The only positive thing about the Harvey Weinstein situation is that 82% of respondents in poll by Time, explained women were more likely to speak out about sexual harassment. A conversation began and women were taking full advantage of the situation. People were listening to them, and through the #MeToo movement they knew they were surrounded by women and men that planned on supporting them through this difficult time.
One thing that has skyrocketed the movement is the fact that so many celebrities are behind it- -whether it is because they have experienced sexual harassment themselves or because they want change to happen now. Some of these celebrities have included Jensen Ackles (actor from Supernatural) with his tweet “For my wife, for my daughters, for all women… I stand with all of you. This has gotta change. #metoo #nomore,” as well as Ashleigh Murray (actress from Riverdale) who stated, “I wish I couldn’t recount. #MeToo.”
Men and women are coming
together to defeat a huge issue that people all over the world face, and we have the #MeToo movement to thank for it.
Unfortunately not everybody has had the same reaction to the movement, as Wendy Williams explained, “I’m sick of this #metoo movement…I love that people are speaking up for the first time…but I look at all men like you are a ‘me too’. All of them. All of them! Which is not fair.” Don’t believe me? Just watch the video! I think it is very important for people to understand that the #MeToo movement is not a witch hunt for men and is not about persecuting all men. It is about seeking justice for women and men who have experienced sexual harassment so they know they are not alone. The ONLY men who are “me too men” are the harassers, such as Harvey Weinstein.
Thankfully, not everybody has the same mindset as Wendy Williams as the “Silent Breakers” were named Time’s Person of the Year. The “Silent Breakers” were those who spoke out against sexual harassment through the #MeToo Movement. It is fantastic to see women being recognized for all the hard work they have done!
Although the fight for justice against sexual harassment is far from over, we have made a huge step toward progress and it is because of the #MeToo movement. Thank you Tarana Burke for creating this iconic movement and allowing victims to be heard.
“When you hear #MeToo, will you stand up and say #NoMore?”- Tarana Burke
*Control Click Photo For Source- If not Tagged Photo is Mine*
Articles used:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/unwanted-sexual-advances-hollywood-weinstein-story-poll/story?id=50521721
http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/
https://metoomvmt.org/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1616048/Video-Im-sick-metoo-movement-Wendy-Williams-show.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/10/27/weinstein-scandal-complete-list-accusers/804663001/
I think this was a great description of the #metoo movement. It highlighted the importance of victims speaking out against injustices made to them and really powered the victims. Times naming the person of the year the “silent breakers” is giant step in the right direction in uncovering the victim of these crimes and shows how big this issue really is. Also, it seems like many A- list Hollywood actresses have come forward to sexual harassment in the workplace. Opening up a new subject of investigation under the umbrella of sexual harassment.
Your background regarding this movement is incredible, as I had a topic similar to yours. I believe I now should’ve incorporated some elements utilizing statistics and visuals as you did. Your analysis of the controversy is incredible and I look forward to reading your blog next time!
The #metoo movement is a great topic to discuss for you civic issue. I was really interested to hear where the slogan – and the movement in general – originated. I was also interested in hearing a perspective that was not completely on board with the #metoo movement. What I really find compelling about this campaigns that it is backed by more celebrities than any other movement I can recall in recent history.
This provides great context for the #metoo movement and is definitely a perfect topic to start your civic issues blog. I am in awe about Wendy Williams comment—it is always mind-boggling to me when women do not understand the seriousness of the claims made by fellow women. But, I really appreciated how you ended on a positive note. The work done by women to support fellow women is really inspiring. It makes me want to work for the cause, to support others and promote female empowerment everywhere.
I love your piece so much this week. Obviously, as you know this is something I too am extremely passionate about. I actually had not heard the Wendy Williams comment and now that I have I am livid. I am shocked that people still have an idea that if women are speaking up for themselves or what they believe in, they are being aggressive and out of line. Especially for a topic like this in which people just want others to be reprimanded for what they have done. I can’t wait to read more about your blog topic!