#MeToo
Rachel Utnage
Sexual assault and violence lives in America’s floorboards, and sometimes, if you step on the right plank of wood, then you’ll hear a creak. These creaks happen every now and then, but people tend to ignore them and keep walking. As time goes on, it is likely that more planks will creak, and soon the entire floor will creak. America’s floors creak with every step, and it is time to hammer away the entire floor in order to expose the monsters under the floorboards that people have traditionally ignored. In the midst of October 2017, women and men began posting “Me Too” statements, or the trending “#MeToo”, as an empowering, and empathetic, way of addressing that they have been victims of sexual assault or violence. The Me Too statement aims to spread awareness and start a discussion on the issues of sexual assault and violence. The statement was more than a trending hashtag, as it also created a safe and understanding community for victims. People banded together in an effort to expose the severity of this issue, and an article from CNN describes the Me Too statement as, “those two simple words have become a rallying cry.” However, the deeper meaning behind these words is anything but simple, and it is important to know their origin story.
The idea of the Me Too movement came from Tarana Burke, and the movement was originally started to help young women of color who experienced sexual abuse. Burke has been involved with empowering survivors of abuse since the 90s, and she has described the huge response to this campaign as, “pretty amazing.” The current outpouring of Me Too posts has been traced back to a Twitter post written by the actress Alyssa Milano. The post read: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” This tweet encouraged thousands of people to reply with Me Too, and some people even shared their personal experiences. An article from BBC described this movement as a, “show of solidarity.” Milano has not been the only celebrity to share personal experiences and recognize the issues of sexual assault and violence. This past fall, big time Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed for his history of sexual abuse on women, and NPR even reported that these claims led to his “expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
One of the most powerful sources of this exposure came from the voices of celebrities who have been subjected to sexual harassment or assault. Celebrities were not only calling attention to the unspoken abuses and issues in Hollywood, but they were also creating a platform that inspired others to feel comfortable joining the conversation. However, not every celebrity was willing to speak out. An article from Vogue reported that the actress Uma Thurman was asked about the issue of sexual assault in Hollywood, and that she sternly replied, “I’ve been waiting to feel less angry. And when I’m ready, I’ll say when I have to say.” Although Thurman did not directly participate in the Me Too movement, she did contribute to the discussion and displayed a bitter passion that illuminates the intensity of the issue. However, this discussion of sexual assault and violence goes beyond the world of Hollywood, and the movement internationally trends
A purpose of the Me Too movement is to show the many faces of abuse and the widespread of sexual assault and violence within institutions and everyday life. Beyond Hollywood, there has been a plethora of Me Too statements made by athletes, especially within gymnastics. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney came forward about how she has experienced sexual assault at the hands of her former team doctor. Maroney, and other gymnasts who came forward, were not only bringing attention to their own experiences, but also shedding light on the history of sexual abuse in women’s gymnastics. An article in The Nation lists athletes that have came forward during the Me Too movement and noted how this movement, “has ignited the sports world, bringing critical attention to sexual violence and its often-ignored victims.” The Me Too movement is not exclusive to America, and there are people from all over the world participating in the conversation. French women have taken their own approach to the movement, and NPR reported that they have altered the phrase from Me Too to, “Balance Ton Porc, or Out Your Pig.” This statement highlights the crimes of the abusers rather than the suffering of the victim, but it manages to function in the same respect as the Me Too movement. The French phrase is more aggressive, but it is important to recognize the anger, and the passion, that inspires this aggressive call out. Despite all of the empowerment and support that has came out of this movement, there are still people who criticized the movement and offered their own approaches to this issue.
There has been a massive outpouring of positive responses and reactions to the Me Too movement, but there are also people who find the campaign to be slightly problematic and in need of further considerations. In a piece posted on the Huffington Post, Angela Chapin argues that there is a problem with this movement and that it is not efficiently tackling the issue of sexual assault and violence. Chapin does not think the Me Too movement is actually contributing to anything progressive and that it, “won’t make a difference until men, all men, acknowledge how they perpetuate misogyny and commit to making a change” (Chapin). She argues that since women are not the problem, they do not need to come forward and change anything. She believes that the real change on these issues has to come from, and within, men. She continues to say that instead of women trending the Me Too on the internet, men need to be the people to come forward and admit what they have done wrong. Chapin’s argument is an example of how people try to derail the Me Too campaign. It is important to remember that Tarana Burke originally started this campaign as an empathetic way to communicate with survivors, and that the original focus is on the survivor and not the abuser. The Me Too movement allows survivors to reclaim their voices and liberate themselves from the silence they have been forced into. Despite the criticism, the Me Too movement has ignited a much need conversation about sexual assault, and it has also created a community for people to talk through their experiences and spread awareness. The Me Too campaign is not going to immediately fix the issues of sexual assault and violence, but it is a stepping-stone to a more just future.
