Women Around The World Are Tweeting With #MeToo And You Won’t Believe Why
On Sunday, women around the world began tweeting with #MeToo, telling the world just how rampant sexual harassment is and testifying to the fact that almost all of us have faced it at one point or another.
How did it all start? Let me give you the back story.
Women are flooding social media with stories about harassment in #MeToo campaign https://t.co/iW1kl7MBrs pic.twitter.com/SfNfrIWzI0
— The Independent (@Independent) October 16, 2017
In a shocking turn of events, Hollywood film producer, Harvey Weinstein was accused of a decade-worth of sexual offenses by multiple women, earlier this month. The man who has produced a string of Oscar-winning movies was subsequently testified against by famous celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and others, who have come forward with horrific stories of sexual advances, harassment and rape.
Weinstein’s wife has since announced that she’s leaving her husband, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to expel him. While the Harvey Weinstein scandal continues, it has also sparked a much larger campaign with women the world over raising their voices and opening up about widespread sexual harassment.
It all started when actress Alyssa Milano, who is passionate about women’s rights, tweeted:
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
Alyssa co-starred in the TV series, Charmed with actress Rose McGowan, who has also accused Harvey Weinstein of rape. Alyssa’s tweet and request to women on Twitter has now gone viral. Both famous as well as regular women have been tweeting with #MeToo, exposing the magnitude of sexual abuse. Many of them were bold enough to share heart-breaking, personal stories for the cause.
https://twitter.com/kScodders/status/919908941114564610
https://twitter.com/pyan_g/status/919925223343968257
#MeToo and almost every woman I know.
— Am I Bothering You? radhika vaz (@radvaz) October 16, 2017
#MeToo and I don’t want pity or sympathy, I just want it never to happen to anyone ever again.
— Leah Nagarpowers (@leahnp613) October 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/hankypanty/status/919912466770989056
The TL, both twitter and FB is filled with #MeToo. If ever the culture of omerta needs breaking it is now.
— Kiran Manral (@KiranManral) October 16, 2017
Your story is valid
Your feelings are valid
Even if you didn't tell anyone
Even if you won't
You are valid#MeToo— Alice (@_unduetrestella) October 16, 2017
The hashtag gained momentum and began trending on Facebook too, not just in the United States but all over the world!
Did this come as a surprise? We bet not. We all have our own stories of unwanted sexual advances, and in many cases, much worse! From abuse within families to eve-teasing in the streets, and co-workers passing comments with sexual innuendo to marital rape, we’ve seen it all at some point or the other. And more often than not, we’ve hidden in the shadows, engulfed in shame… or maintained our silence, thinking it won’t do any good to speak up.
Well, it’s time to change that. It’s time to speak up and hold our silence no longer. Let’s join the movement and tweet with #MeToo to raise a collective voice. Not against a single instance of abuse or a celebrity perp. But against the epidemic of sexual abuse. It’s gone on too long and we won’t let them get away with it!
On a side note, we really loved New York comedian, Lane Moore’s tweet:
https://twitter.com/hellolanemoore/status/919701260990865408
Don’t we all dream of a world where women can feel safe again?
